
Sedimonthole (December in Setswana)
[ENG] The Setswana name for December is Sedimonthole, but sometimes people use “Morule”. The twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar (December/Sedimonthole) is in fact the fourth month of the traditional Tswana lunar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse).
However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a 12-month lunar cycle is bound to fall out of alignment with key season markers, such as mid-winter, mid-summer, beginning of rainy seasons, animal and bird migrations and reproductive cycles, etc. This therefore means the beginning of the planting season will not occur at exactly the same time each solar cycle, as each moon cycle is only 30 days, leaving an accumulation of days which do not fall within the designated months.
After several years, the onset of summer would now appear to be deep in Seetebosigo [June] unless something is done to realign the months. According to some pundits, this is what resulted in the addition of a 13th month (Morule) every five or so years, to correct the alignment of the months with the seasons. The discussion about this intercalary month will be elaborated in the Morule [Undecimber] – the 13th Month post.
The rightful Setswana name for December is Sedimonthole but sometimes the name Morule is ascribed to it. “Morule” in fact is the name of the intercalary month that is used to correct the misalignment of the lunar cycle to the seasonal markers, which becomes obvious after every five or so years.
With the adoption of the Western calendars, Sedimonthole has found itself sitting at the very end of the year, and has enjoyed the numerous perks that come with this. Christmastime is the most obvious of these, and brings about a slightly more pronounced type of spring fever than is typical of Lwetse. It must be said that to most, Christmastime is not so much the religious celebration for the birth of the Christ as it was intended, but rather the celebration of the completion of the year and excitement over the possibilities of good fortunes in the following one. Other year-end activities that occur in Sedimonthole are around academic achievements by the school-going children who will be looking forward to advancing to the next level of their studies, come January.
Being in the middle of summer and the rainy season means that similar to Ngwanatsele, this month is a time of abundance. But it is not just the wild plants that are in full fruition, as even some of the domesticated crops such as some melons are also providing food. Apparently this resulted in situations where it was common for harvesters of these fruits to carry them on their heads in large loads. Upon arriving at their destination, harvesters would be quite exhausted and would appeal to the “sedimo” to help them get it off (“nthole”). Hence the word Sedimonthole. “Sedimo” here can either be interpreted to be an appeal to the ancestral spirits, generically, or as many writers opine, some sort of portmanteau for “motho wa Modimo” [literally, ‘person of God’]. Whatever the case, there is an air of appeal for assistance in the word.
[TSN] Kgwedi ya bosome-le-bobedi ya ngwaga wa moalo wa “Gregorian Calendar” ke ya bone ya ngwaga ka moalo wa Setswana sa Maloba. Ngwaga o wa Setswana sa pele o ne o simolola ka kgwedi ya Lwetse fa go ipaakanyediwa temo. Marara a kgang e a okediwa ke go re jaaka dikgwedi tsa Setswana di ne di balwa ka motsamao wa ngwedi, e ne e re morago ga dingwaga di le mmalwa, dikgwedi di bo di sa tlhole di lebagane sentle le dipaka tsa ngwaga. Go tila se, gatwe go ne ga tlhangwa kgwedi ya bosome-le-boraro, e e bidiwang Morule, e e neng e kgona go tlodisa dingwaga di le mmalwa e sa balwe. Polelwana ka kgwedi e re ka e bona fa tsebeng ya “Morule [Undecimber] – the 13th Month ”.
Leina la “December” ka Setswana ke Sedimonthole. Le fa go ntse jalo, bangwe ba na le go dirisa “Morule”, mme Morule tota e le leina la kgwedi ya matlalaletso e e dirising mo dingwageng tse dingwe go leka go busetsa tebaganyo ya dikgwedi le dipaka tsa ngwaga.
Tiriso ya ditshupakgwedi tsa Sekgowa e dirile gore Sedimonthole a iphitlhele a le ene kgwedi ya bofelo mo ngwageng, ka jalo, a iphitlhela gape a faraferwe ke ditiro tsa menate le ipelafatso, e bile a feta Lwetse ka go tsholetsa maikutlo a batho phetelela. Nngwe ya tse ke nako ya Keresemose. Motho o ka itemogela gore bontsi ja batho ga ba tseye Keresemose ka fa setumelong, jaaka letsatsi la matsalo a Morena, mme bone ba itumelela fela gore ba kgonne go bona ngwaga o fela, mme gape ba na le tsholofelo ya dintle tsa ngwaga o o tlang. Mo baneng ba sekwele, boitumelo jo bongwe ke go bo ba feditse mophato wa dithuto mme ba tloga be fetela kwa go o o fa pejana.
Jaanong ka Sedimonthole a le mo mpeng ya paka ya selemo, e gape e leng ya dipula, go nna le maphemphe a maungo a naga, fela jaaka ka Ngwanatsele. Se sengwe gape ke gore dilengwa di tshwana l bo makgomane le tsone di a bo di setse to beile bontsi. Ka jalo, batho ba tla abo ba a kotula ka bontsi, mme ba a rwalela kgakala go ya gae. Fa ba goroga, ba a bo ba lapile, ba imetswe, ba bo ba ikuela mo go ba ba ba fitlhelang mo gae gore “sedimo, nthole morwalo o”. Ke ka jalo kgwedi e e bidiwang Sedimonthole. Lefoko “sedimo” fa, le ka kaya gore mmui o a bo a ikopela thuso mo badimong ka kakaretso, kgotsa a khutshwafaditse gore “motho wa Modimo”.
Bala ka dipaka tsa ngwaga mo Dipaka [Seasons] le ka dikgwedi mo Dikgwedi [Months].
Featured image source: Legae Digwaamaje, Department of Arts and Culture, Botswana, 2013, from https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/dikopelo-folk-music-of-bakgatla-ba-kgafela-in-kgatleng-district-01290