September brings the Indian summer which can stretch well into October. Read on to learn about its seasons and symbols.
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Where did the name come from
Indian Summer is called babí léto which could be translated as “old women’s summer”. However, according to folktales, the name derives from the name of the autumn goddess Baba who knits funeral robes for the summer gods and the white fibers we see fly in the air in the Indian summer are yarn from those robes.
Another theory says that the names comes from the resemblance of the pieces of spiderwebs in the air to the silver hair of old women, and the writer K. J. Erben explained that the season is called after old women because, just like them, the time of the summer is ending. Czech poet and linguist J. Jungmann believed that the name was after the Pleiades, commonly known in Czech as The Chickens and sometimes as Baby (pronounce ba-bee) which “reign the skies” in this season.
Our Christian forefathers believed that the spiderwebs were the yarn of the Virgin Mary.
Mother of God passes her yarn.
Fortunate are those touched by the shiny fibers.
Those touched by the flying Indian summer shall have luck.
Indian Summer in Czech Republic
Weather
It is a beautiful season. It’s not too hot but the sun still shines bright and it’s warm. The nature begins to change, nights get colder and mornings are covered in fog. During the day, small pieces of spiderwebs float in the air, you can still enjoy sunny days and relatively warm evenings in September and it gets more cold and damp in October. Indian summer can be two weeks long or even whole two months, rarely it doesn’t come at all.
This season was also called Summer of St. Wenceslaus after the patron saint of the Czech Republic whose day is September 28, Day of Czech Statehood.
October brings one joy to the children – perfect windy weather for flying kites.
“When Grandmother and the children went for a walk, the boys did not forget the kites, which they then flew on the hill. Adélka chased after them, catching the soft threads of Indian summer flying in the air. Barunka gathered red viburnums and blackthorns on the hillside for her grandmother, which she needed for medicine, or plucked rose hips for home use, or picked rowanberris, which she used to make beads for Adélka’s bracelets and necklaces. Grandmother liked to sit with them on the hill above the castle; from there they had a view of the valley and the green meadows where the lord’s flock grazed, they could see the town and the castle on the small hill in the middle of the valley…”
– from Babička by Božena Němcová
Spider as Symbol of Indian Summer
Although spiderwebs were mostly seen as a symbol of luck, in some cases they were believed to predict the coming plague. More practically, spiders were seen as weather prophets, they can supposedly predict weather 6 to 8 hour in advance. If the cross spiders make new webs outside or sit in the middle of their webs with their legs folded under, the weather will be nice. Cleaning and repairing the spiderwebs predicts dry day without wind. If the spiders stand in the web as if prepared for jumping, you can expect shorter rains and if they’re hidden if the corner of their webs without trying to repair the holes, there will be storms. You know the winter’s coming once there are no new spiderwebs outside and the spiders are trying to hide indoors closer to the sources of heat. When the spider moves closer to the window, it won’t be long until thaw. Also, if the spiders run around nervously, it’s supposedly a sign of an extremely cold winter coming.
| Pavouček plachtí povětřím a nebe nad krajinou nám nepoví, kde podzim spí, až vůně z polí minou. Mateřídouška, tymián, kvítí všech včel, bzukot všech rán!- Mathilde Baumannová | A little spider floats in the air And the skies above the land Will not tell us where the autumn sleeps When the fragrances of the fields pass Thymus and garden thyme, Flowers for all bees, buzzing of the mornings! |
Seasons of Indian Summer
Our forefathers noticed that the Indian summer could be divided into seasons, although not all of them come every year. Each season was named after a significant name from the Czech calendar.
Marian Summer
Mariánské léto or Marian summer is the season of the first decade of September (not necessarily from the first day of September though). The weather is still very warm, often as warm as in August, although nights can get a little colder.
Summer of Ludmila and Matthew
The so-called ludmilsko-matoušské léto follows the first season and ends at the half of the last decade of September. The days can be very nice, warm and just inviting to sit on the porch and enjoy the colors of nature, however, the evenings and night are significantly colder and so are the mornings.
St. Wenceslas Summer
This season at the break of September and October ends with the first half of the first decade of October. There are several weather proverbs:
- Přijde Václav – kamna připrav. – St. Wenceslaus – prepare the stove.
- Na svatého Václava bývá bahna záplava. – There’s lots of mud on St. Wenceslaus’ Day.
- Svatý Václav víno chrání, po něm bude vinobraní. – St. Wenceslaus protects the vine, after his day will come the wine festival.
Theresian Summer
Theresian summer follows and ends with the second decade of October. The fogs appear not just in the morning now but also in the evening, the days get shorter and temperatures can be very low in some regions. It is not every year that the Indian summer comes this far.
Simon’s Cold
Even if the weather’s still pleasant at this time, the third decade of October brings significantly lower temperatures. In 2019, the record was -19,9°C in Rokytská slať (Šumava National Park), although such low temperatures are unusual.
All Saints’ Summer/Little Indian Summer
In the rare years that the Indian summer continues in the last decade of October and the first decade of November, we can expect higher temperatures than in the previous season and even sunny days once the morning fogs disappear. As the proverb says, the All Saints’ Summer can last three hours, three days or three weeks.
