The Birth of Winter `The Canon of Winter Stories`

Arab Weather - Sunday, December 21, 2025, coincides with the winter solstice and the birth of winter, marking the beginning of the shortest day of the year, with a day length of ten hours and three minutes, and the longest night of the year .

However, according to popular tradition, the date of the winter forty days is fixed, starting every year on December 23 and ending on January 31, for a period of forty days: nine days from December and thirty-one days from January .

Winter is divided into two seasons :

The four-day period: Its name indicates the number of its days, i.e., forty days .

The fifty days: Its duration is also deduced from its name, i.e., fifty days, and it is also called the period of good fortune.

The difference between a coup and moderation

The solstice: It occurs in the winter and summer seasons, when the hours of the night differ from the hours of the day .

The equinox: It occurs in the spring and autumn seasons, when the hours of night and day are equal .

As for the countries located on the equator, the hours of night and day are equal throughout the year, regardless of the season, which is the reason for naming it the equator .

The Marba'aniyya in popular heritage

From our popular sayings and ancestral tales in the Levant, it was said in the Marba'aniyya :

"Either you sit cross-legged or you sit cross-legged."

"O sun that burns, O rain that drowns"

They said: "O Lord, save us from the plague of the forty days."

The winter quarter is considered the coldest period of the year, and the beginning of the rain and snow season, as its rains constitute about 30% of the average rainfall for the season .

The laws in popular heritage

The months of Kanun (December and January) are a symbol of extreme cold in popular tradition, and many proverbs and sayings related to preparing for winter revolve around them .

December: Popularly known as “the bare one,” as the trees are stripped of their leaves in it. It is the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar according to the Syriac names used in the Arab East.

January: It is known as “the deaf” to describe the severity of its cold that “deafens the ears.” It is the first month of the Gregorian calendar year. January is sometimes called “the little January,” and January is called “the great January.”

Origin of the name: Linguistic origin and meaning :

(Kinna) meaning stability :

Researchers believe that the name is derived from the root “kinn,” meaning stability and permanence. The two months were named so because people stay in their homes, meaning they stay there and stop working in the fields due to the extreme cold .

(Kanoon) The stove :

The word “Kanun” in the Syriac language means hearth or stove, and they are called “Kawanin” in reference to the peak need for heating in the heart of winter. In December, one Kanun is used, while in January, two Kanuns are used due to the severity of the cold .

The cannon as a traditional tool:

The traditional kanoun is made of clay or stone in the countryside, and of metal in the cities. It uses firewood or charcoal. The name kanoun is still used in some Arab regions to describe traditional barbecue and cooking stoves .

Peasants in the Levant :

Meteorology is a modern science, no more than 150 years old, while the folk heritage of our ancestors extends back hundreds of years .

Due to the climatic and environmental conditions in the Levant, farmers divided the agricultural year into seasons and periods, depending on the movement of the sun and moon and the appearance of the stars .

The first human civilizations appeared in the Levant, and from there the first alphabet spread to the ancient world. It was there that the annual calendar was developed, which is linked to the movement of the earth around the sun and moon. The calendar was also linked to the appearance of the stars, and man was able to develop a time calendar that would help him know the times of planting. The Syriac calendar, which was developed in the Levant, is considered the oldest calendar in the world today.

The spread of knowledge, writing, and arithmetic in the Levant contributed to the establishment of precise divisions of the seasons, and they determined the beginning of each season by day and hour. The matter reached the point where astronomers from the East were consulted when the ancient Roman calendar was established.

We also note that seasonal climate change has affected our lifestyles, including food, clothing, health, and mood .

Al-Azhari said :

The year has four seasons, and each season has three months: Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July, August), Autumn (September, October, November), and Winter (December, January, February) .

Agricultural seasons:

The farmers in the Levant divided the year into six seasons :

1. Plowing and planting grains – November
2. Rainy season – January
3. Spring planting – March, April, May
4. Wheat and barley harvest – June, July
5. Grape and fig harvesting – August, September
6. Olive season – October and November

Proverbs and folk tales of the Kanun:

Examples of the Kuanin :

"A cloud in December would frighten a madman."

"There is nothing purer than the moon of October, nor darker than the clouds of December."

"In December, stay in your house and stock up on firewood and oil."

"Between January and February, don't spend the night at your neighbor's house."

"The cold of the fires is more painful than the stab of knives."

"A cloud in December frightens even a madman."

They said, "The wedding of madmen in the courtyards."

"The sun of December is like the plague."

"In December, they were like a camel, and they yearned for it."

Kanoon, the family gathering place:

In popular tradition, the hearth is the "winter gathering," where the family gathers around the hearth seeking warmth, and hearts listen before ears to the warmth of conversation and talk .

There, stories are told, tales and narratives are recalled, and January is associated with the rituals of coffee and tea, and a breakfast of bread, oil, thyme, chestnuts, corn, and roasted potatoes .

The father was the heartbeat of the house, and everyone would reach out to the hearth and listen to the leader's words, while the tea on the hearth from the mother's hand was a history of unforgettable tenderness .

The hearth was more than just a heating stove; it was a cherished tradition that brought the family together around a single hearth. Little did we know that a day would come when we would long for that warm gathering, and that the stories of the hearth would reunite us once more.

By: Saad Al-Bukhari