August 12 - August 18 is the 33rd week of 2024. This week we are in the Solar Term of Beginning of Autumn (Aug 08 - Aug 23). The micro-season for this week is "Evening Cicadas Sing" (Aug 13 - Aug 17). Basho, Issa, Buson, and Rei…
August 12 - August 18 is the 33rd week of 2024. This week we are in the Solar Term of Beginning of Autumn (Aug 08 - Aug 23). The micro-season for this week is "Evening Cicadas Sing" (Aug 13 - Aug 17).
Basho, Issa, Buson, and Reichhold wrote the poems selected for this week.
The 24 Solar Terms
The 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China (206 BCE and 24 CE) to help guide their agricultural activities. Each solar term is 15 days long and is based on the climate around Xi'an, the capital of China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). (1)
Beginning of Autumn is the thirteenth Solar Term of the year and the first Solar Term of Autumn. Liqiu (立秋) is the Chinese name for this season. The Chinese character for autumn, Qiu (秋) "consists of two parts, he (禾, rice) and huo (火, fire), meaning the ripening of rice."(2)
The 72 Seasons
The 72-season calendar was established in 1685 by Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai. Each season lasts for about 5 days and offers "a poetic journey through the Japanese year in which the land awakens and blooms with life and activity before returning to slumber."(4)
The micro-season for this week is "Evening Cicadas Sing" (Aug 13 - Aug 17).
The Cicada
Cicadas are stout insects known for their clear-membraned wings, broad heads, and compound eyes. Cicadas vary in size, ranging from 0.75 to 2.25 inches (2 to 5 cm) in length. Cicadas, who are part of the taxonomic order Homoptera, are separated into two family classifications: Tettigarctidae and Cicadidae.
Tettigarctidae, or "hairy cicadas," are ancient and primitive insects that have mostly become extinct except for two species that can still be found in southern Australia and Tasmania. The larger Cicadidae family, often called "true cicadas," can be found around the globe and consists of over 3,000 different species.
Cicada Songs
Cicadas can produce a variety of sounds/songs by vibrating specialized membranes called tymbals located near the base of their abdomen. Male cicadas, in particular, can generate four distinct types of sound: songs, calls, low-amplitude songs, and disturbance sounds.
The way cicada's "sing" is different from the way that grasshoppers and crickets sing. Grasshoppers and crickets create sound through stridulation or the rubbing together of specialized body parts.
Sample Cicada Songs
According to the Songs of Insects website, most cicadas are easy to identify by their sound. Let's see if you can tell the difference. (The links will bring you to SongsofInsects.com)
Aug 18 is the last day of week 33. Aug 18 is 59 days past the summer solstice and 35 days until the Autumn Equinox (September 22, 2024).
Moon Phases
The Moon reached its first quarter phase on August 12th. The First Quarter is seven days after the New Moon and marks the first quarter of the Moon's orbit around the Earth.
After the First Quarter, the Moon shifts to its Waxing Gibbous phase. During the Waxing Gibbous phase, the Moon's illumination increases until it reaches the Full Moon. On August 18, the last day of this week, the Moon is in a Waxing Gibbous phase with 98% illumination.
August's full Moon will occur on August 19.
Haiku and Kigo
The kigo, or season word, is one of the key parts of the haiku. The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society provides us with the following explanation for why we use kigo in haiku.
"A kigo is a poetic device used in haiku to denote a season; it's a powerful word or phrase that can conjure up many allusions, historical references, spiritual meanings, and/or cultural traditions. Its use in haiku, a poem of few words, is especially effective because of this power to expand its meaning beyond the literal and to create a larger aura of seasonal mood, historical/ literary context, and/or cultural implications."(9)
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