Its days are described as the coldest... and begin with the slaughter
Arab Weather - Just when people think winter is about to leave, it surprises them with the harshness and biting cold it still has in store. This is where the fifty days of winter begin, the second part of the season, and the most prominent in popular memory, where nature and storytelling intertwine, and the cold gave rise to proverbs that are still told today.
Saad Bala’ (Ibla’) in the collective heritage of the Arab East
The fifty days of winter, the time of the Saudats
The fifty-day period is known as the Sa'udat period, lasting fifty days, divided into four sections, each called a "Sa'd," and each Sa'd lasts twelve and a half days, which are:
- Saad Al-Dhabih
- Saad Balaa
- Saad Al-Saud
- Saad Al-Khabaya
According to popular tradition, the fifty-day period begins on February 1st, while some weather experts believe that Saad Al-Dhabih may begin this year on January 30th.
What is the story of the Sa'udat and what is the relationship of the shepherd Sa'd to it?
Saad Al-Dhabih, the name that frightens
Saad Al-Dhabih was named as a metaphor for the severity and harshness of the cold, to the point that it became a proverb, and it was said about him: “Saad slaughtered, his dog did not bark, his farmer did not plow, and his shepherd did not graze.”
It is an accurate description of days when everything is paralyzed, and taking shelter becomes a necessity, not a luxury.
Saad swallowed, when the earth drank
Saad Balaa , where rains are plentiful and the earth absorbs its water quickly, so it was said:
"The sky rains, and the earth swallows."
It was also said:
"Saad swallowed the water and it got swallowed."
The farmers saw in Saad Bala’ the peak of the land’s irrigation, as the soil would drink quietly and the underground layers would be nourished, so the wells would begin to fill up, heralding a bountiful season.
Saad Al-Saud, the pulse of life returns
And then comes Saad Al-Saud, the stage of transformation and the beginning of warmth, where:
"Water flows into the wood, and warms everything that is cold."
At this particular time, farmers in the Levant were regulating their agricultural work with extreme precision, guided by the popular heritage that served as a living agricultural calendar.
Before the arrival of Saad Al-Saoud, the season for pruning trees begins, especially grapevines, as this is the most suitable time for pruning, before the sap begins to flow in the branches, and before the trees enter the stage of active growth.
They used to say that whoever delays pruning until after Sa`d Al-Sa`ud weakens the tree and reduces its production, because life will have already begun to stir in its trunk.
Saad Al-Khabaya, the emergence of the hidden
The fifty-day period concludes with Saad al-Khabaia, when the weather becomes mild, snakes and other creatures emerge from their winter hibernation, and the days are adorned with a pleasant warmth, so much so that it was said:
"Saad Al-Khabaya brings out the snakes and makes the young girls twirl."
The Story of the Shepherd Saad
As for the story of the shepherd Saad , it is the origin of the name.
Folklore tells the story of a young man named Saad, a brave shepherd who went out one day to graze his flock at the end of the forty-day period. He was deceived by a warm sun and thought that winter was over.
Despite the advice of his father and the elders of his village not to go out, he ignored that advice and went out with his camel and sheep, confident that warmth would stay with him.
But nature had other ideas.
The weather suddenly changed, a fierce storm blew in, rain and snow fell, and the cold intensified until death seemed imminent.
In a fateful moment, Saad found no way to survive except to slaughter his camel, to take refuge inside its carcass, to warm himself with its fur, and to escape death.
Hence the name given to this period of the year as Sa`d Al-Dhabih.
A memory that never dies
These stories and proverbs are still present in people’s minds, bearing witness to a time when folklore was the true guide for farmers in the Levant, and their guide to understanding the weather, organizing agriculture, and adapting to the harshness of nature.
Source: By: Saad Al-Bukhari
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