
Tlhakole [February in Setswana]
[ENG] The Setswana name for February is Tlhakole. Although it is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (February/Tlhakole) is in fact the sixth month of the traditional Tswana lunisolar 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.
The “Morule [Undecimber]” post explains this in a lot more detail, and the measures taken to reduce its impact by different ancient cultures across the world, including Batswana ancestors.
The etymology of the word “Tlhakole” is also one of the more tricky ones, as it requires both an in-depth knowledge of Setswana vocabulary and agricultural phenomena. Tlhakole is derived from “tlhakola”, which means to wipe. However, due to euphemistic usage and the need for politeness, the word tends to solely be associated with ablutionary wiping by most Batswana – even though there are still small pockets (especially in the south), who, like their Basotho cousins, still use it generically to mean wiping in general; or in this case, dusting off.
This dusting off/wiping refers to removal of sorghum pollen from the grains. At this time of year, the sorghum grains that were planted at the beginning of summer have now reached maturity and are almost ready for harvest. As part of the harvesting preparatory process, the excess pollen grains that cluster around the edible grains have to be removed. The process is what is referred to as ‘go tlhakola’. Hence Tlhakole.
Tlhakole is a hot month, punctuated by bouts of rainfall. It appropriately displays the characteristics of the onset of autumn. But even more importantly, it ushers in the beginning of the harvest period. But as different crops mature at different times, the harvest is not in full swing until deep into March, during letlhafula.
Read more about the seasons on Dipaka [Seasons] and about the months on Dikgwedi [Months].

[TSN] Kgwedi ya February e bidiwa Tlhakole ka Setswana. Ntswa e le kgwedi ya bobedi ya moalo wa “Gregorian Calendar”, ke ya borataro ya ngwaga ka moalo wa Setswana sa Maloba.
Ngwaga wa Setswana sa pele o ne o simolola ka kgwedi ya Lwetse fa go ipaakanyediwa temo. Marara a kgang e a okediwa ke gore 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 bo lesome-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]”.
Leina “Tlhakole” le dingalonyana go tlhaloganyesega, ntswa le le motlhofo. Le tlhoka fela gore motho a bo a tlhaloganya ditsamaiso tsa temo le thobo, ga mmogo le go itse mafoko mangwe a Setswana a a sa dirisiweng nako tsotlhe. Kgotsa le fa a dirisiwa, mme tiriso ya teng e e tlwaelesegileng e bo e le e e farologanyeng le e e dirisiwang fa.
Lefoko “tlhakole” le tswa mo lediring “tlhakola”. Go tlhakola go tewa go sutlha kgotsa go phepafatsa. Mme mo tsamaong ya nako, le ne la lebagannwa le tiriso ya go iphepafatsa mo go sa buiweng phatlalatsa. Mme le fa go ntse jalo, go na le bangwe Batswana (bogolo jang mo dikgaolong tse di ka fa borwa), ba ba sentseng ba tshwere tiriso ya lone ya pele e e akaretsang go sutlha kgotsa go phepafatsa ka kakaretso. Tiriso e, e tshwana le ya Sesotho.
Jaanong potso ke gore go phepafadiwa eng. Karabo: mabele. A a bo a tlhakolwa mmudula, go baakanyetsa thobo.
Ka ngwaga wa temo o simolola ka Lwetse, fa o tla go goroga fa, dingwe tsa dijalo di abo di simolotse go nonofela go ka rojwa. Nngwe ya tsone ke mabele. Ka nako e, mabele a abo a setse a godile ebile a na le mmudula o montsi. Mme ka mmudula o o sa jewe, ebile go ne go dumelwa o kgoreletsa kgolo ya mabele, go ne go tlwaelegile gore fa o goroga mo seeming se sa kgolo, o a tlhakolwa.
Kgwedi ya Tlhakole e na le diemo tsa bosa tse di farologanang thata, ka e le mogote o montsi, mme gape e na le go tshabelelwa ke dipula tse di kgonang go dira serame. Ke yone kgwedi ya ntlha ya thobo, ka dijalo tse di farologanyeng di sa gole ka selekanyo se se tshwanang. Letlhafula mme lone le ya magoletsa ka kgwedi e e latelang, ya Mopitlo.
Bala ka dipaka tsa ngwaga mo Dipaka [Seasons] le ka dikgwedi mo Dikgwedi [Months].
Featured image source:
https://journalstar.com/news/sorghum-is-making-a-big-splash/article_0da4703a-64d8-5e90-a384-24e6e4b2bb1b.html