Phatwe (August in Setswana)

Phatwe (August in Setswana)

[ENG] The Setswana name for August is Phatwe. The eighth month of the Gregorian Calendar (August/Phatwe) is also the twelfth month of the traditional Tswana lunar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse). In fact, it gets more complicated than that, since because the 12-month lunar year inevitably falls out of alignment with the seasons, and therefore the beginning of the planting season will not occur at exactly the same time each solar cycle. According to some pundits, this is what resulted in the addition of a 13th month (Morule) every several years, to correct te alignment of the months with the seasons. The discussion about this 13th month will be included in the “Morule [Undecimber] – the 13th Month ” post.

The Setswana name for August is Phatwe which, similar to that of July (Phukwi), does not readily make sense to a person who does not posses a deeper understanding of both Setswana vocabulary and natural phenomena. Of cause, there are different etymology theories about the true origins of the word phatwe, but one that seems to hold more traction is the attribution of the damage done by strong winds which are common at this time of the year.
Apparently, as the strong winds bombard the dry and brittle trees (due to the preceding winter conditions), there is a tendency for the wind to break and split the trees, rendering them “cleft in twain”, as our esteemed Mr Shakespeare would put it. This splitting is called “go phatlola” or “go dira maphatlo”, and the stem of this word “phatlo” is then onomatopoeised to phatwe! Hence Phatwe as the name of the month.

The period between late July and late September has become a subject of much debate, as there are no written records from pre-colonial times, and this is the time that has been assigned the season name Dikgakologo [Spring], which appears to have not existed in old traditions.
The problem is there seems to be a disparity in the definition of “the new year”, which was originally all agreed to mean ‘the end of winter [mariga]/beginning of summer [selemo]’, which occurred at the same time – so it made no difference which definition you chose. However, with the introduction of Spring, a gap was created between the two, resulting in some people holding to the notion that Phukwi is the last month of the year (as it is the last month of winter), while others insist that Lwetse [September] is the first month of the year, as it is the first month of summer. This makes things rather awkward for poor Phatwe [August].

Phatwe is therefore seen as the last month of the year, or the first month – depending on which interpretation of “new year” you prefer. Personally, I am content with starting my year with the tumultuous Lwetse [September], which we shall read about next month.
One may also be reminded of the Morule phenomenon and wonder if this then therefore makes Phatwe potentially the 13th month. Well, in a manner of assigning ordinal positions to the months, yes, during “Tswana leap years” this may appear to be the case. However, one must remember that Morule is actually the one which is the thirteenth, since many years run their cause without it.

Phatwe generally has the highest temperature fluctuations, and these can be observed over each daily cycle. The nights can be very cold (even from as early as dusk), while the daytime temperatures may sometimes rival those of any mid-summer day. This makes Phatwe one of the most awkward times for preparing for a one-day trip, in that you may need both winter and summer clothes, and unless you have them packed in a bag, you may look ridiculous in your hot sweater during the 30°C afternoon heat, but equally ridiculous feeling cold at night because you left it behind.

Read more about the seasons on Dipaka [Seasons] and about the months on Dikgwedi [Months].

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https://presenter.jivrus.com/p/10AYye4CpD7lp0mUcwOoQBSC05DDfrdfpMOnn9MGxPBU

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