Khaberni - Today, Sunday, December 21 marks the first day of winter, the beginning of the winter solstice, making this day the shortest day and the longest night.
Today is considered the first day of the Forty Days of Winter, which lasts until the end of January 30, 2026.
Winter extends to ninety days and is divided into two parts: the first part the Forty Days, named for its duration of forty days, and the second part is the Fifty Days, named for its duration of fifty days.
The Forty Days are considered the coldest days of the year and the start of the snow and rain season, as the rains of the Forty Days constitute about 30% of the average rainfall season.
Many folk proverbs encourage staying indoors and offer advice to the farmer about his land, and tips to avoid winter illnesses like colds, the flu, and sniffles.
Among these proverbs is "Either it clears up or it floods," or "Forty Days: either the sun scorches or it rains heavily," indicating that good rain means a blessed season.
Another is "Forty Days: either it mellows or it becomes intense", with 'mellows' referring to moderate weather during the Forty Days, but if it is extremely cold or rainy, it is said "becomes intense", indicating the damage that will befall the crops.
Some refer to the period of the Forty Days as the "cannons," and from the folk proverbs on this term: "Between cannons and February.. do not sleep at your neighbor's," "Between cannon and cannon stay not with your friend," calling on people to reduce visits and not to stay overnight at relatives and friends due to the cold.
Other proverbs reflect this as well: "When Cannon comes.. stay in your house, you fool," and "In Cannon, stay in your house and stock up on your wood and oil," or your bread and oil, and "In the deaf Cannon, sit in your house and be quiet", "In Cannon, stay and be kind to the poor", "In Cannon, stay and be kind to the camel". These proverbs encourage "hunkering down" at home to stay warm and prepare with plenty of wood and oil. They also call for compassion towards the poor and helping them as well as animals to prevent them from perishing.
It is also said: "Between Cannons, do not travel, you miserable one," "Cannon has come, wrap the coal and the cannon," "The wedding of fools in Cannons," for it is not advisable to hold weddings in the Forty Days due to the extreme cold.
Proverbs also warn against being deceived by the Cannon sun, because the weather can change quickly, thus it was said: "The Cannon sun is like the plague," and "In the clear Cannon, there are doubts," where clear refers to skies that have cleared of clouds.
On the other hand, despite these warnings about the cold of Cannons, there are proverbs that encourage making use of it for work, as it is the time when the farmer begins plowing his land, sowing it and planting seedlings, and digging water channels so that his crop will succeed that year, and it said in this regard: "Work in Cannon, safest it can be." And about farming, it was also said: "The olive flood, from the Cannon flood," as we often hear that this year's olive oil output will be good due to plentiful rains this year, as the olive flood depends on plentiful rains.
Due to the importance of Cannon for the land and agriculture, it was also said: "Cannon, the stout of the land," "Cannon, the stud of winter," "Bare Cannon makes the tree bare," and the bare refers to a young man whose mustache has grown but not his beard, meaning that some trees like almond and figs lose their last leaves. And it was also said "Cannon stouts it, and April empties it," where the empty is the barren land that has been deprived of rain. And the proverbs emphasize that the clouds of Cannons are loaded with rain unlike February, whose clouds are described as flustered, thus it was said: "Walk on the cloud of Cannon and not on the fluff of February," meaning trust the clouds of Cannon. And it was said: "A Cannon cloud frightens the fool," and "Do not be deceived by a clear Cannon nor by a cloud of February."
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