Indian summer is a name given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn, not long before winter. Usually occurring after the first frost, Indian summer can be in September, October and/or early November in the northern hemisphere, and March, April and/or early May in the Southern hemisphere. It can persist for a few days or extend to a week or more. This term is not related to the summer season in India.

Overview

The dates for Indian summer are inexact because of variations in climatic patterns throughout each hemisphere. In the northern U.S. state of Minnesota, for example, warm Indian summer weather generally occurs earlier, in mid October rather than early November. In San Francisco, as an example, Indian summer is a less useful phrase because winter and summer temperatures do not vary much and September is the warmest month [1].

Usage

Modern ideas on what an Indian summer constitutes vary, but the most widely accepted value for determining whether an Indian summer is occurring is that the weather must be above 21°C (70°F) for seven days after the autumnal equinox.

In Canada and in the Northeast part of the United States, a ground frost must have been present before the wave of warmer weather, if the period is to be considered Indian summer.

In some regions, such as the southeastern United States, Indian summer is colloquially used to describe the hottest times of the year, typically in late July or August. These, however, are more accurately known as dog days in reference to the prominence of a star during that period.

The term is also used metaphorically to refer to a late blooming of something, often unexpectedly, or after it has lost relevance. This is comparable to the use of the term renaissance in the sense of "revival", but it carries the added connotation that the revival is temporary.

Origins

St Martin's day

In former times in Europe, Indian summer was called Saint Martin's Summer, referring to St. Martin's day, November 11, when it was supposed to end. In British English "St. Martin's Summer" was the most widely used term until the American phrase Indian Summer became better known in the 20th century. In Italy, St Martin's summer (Estate di San Martino) was expected and celebrated as a rural tradition with ancient origins, and is marked by a festival throughout the peninsula on November 11. In Spain, it is called Veranillo de San Martín. In Galicia (northern Spain), it is called Veraniño de San Martiño, and in Portugal it is called "Verão de São Martinho," both of which refer to St. Martin's summer. In both cases, it is celebrated in rural areas with Magostos (Magusto in Portuguese, from Magnus Ustus, Big Fire or Magum Ustum in reference to the magical nature of fire), a celebration of Celtic origins in which bonfires, roasted chestnuts and wine have an important role.

An alternative to St Martin's summer was "Saint Luke's summer", as the saint's feast day is October 18.

The meaning of "Indian"

The term Indian summer has been used for more than two centuries. The earliest known use was by French American writer St. John de Crevecoeur in rural New York in 1778. There are several theories as to its etymology:

• In The Americans, The Colonial Experience, Daniel J. Boorstin speculates that the term originated from raids on European colonies by Indian war parties; these raids usually ended in autumn, hence the extension to summer-like weather in the fall as an Indian summer. Two of the three other known uses of the term in the 18th century are from accounts kept by two army officers leading retaliation expeditions against Indians for raids on settlers in Ohio and Indiana in 1790, and Pennsylvania in 1794.^[1]
• It may be so named because this was the traditional period during which early North Americans First Nations/Native American harvested their crops.^{[citation needed]}
• It could be so named because the phenomenon was more common in what were then North American Indian territories, as opposed to the Eastern Seaboard.^{[citation needed]}
• It may be of Asian Indian origin rather than North American Indian. H. E. Ware, an English writer, noted that ships traversing the Indian Ocean loaded their cargo most often during the Indian summer, or fair weather season. Several ships actually had an "I.S." on their hull at the load level thought safe during Indian summer. However this usage refers to the actual high summer in India, not to a late warm spell.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• January thaw
• Dog Days
• Halcyon days

References

Further reading

Adam Sweeting, Beneath the Second Sun: A Cultural History of Indian Summer. University Press of New England, 2003. ISBN .

Indian Summer

• Indian Summer Article - National Weather Service
• USA Today, 'A close look at Indian summer'

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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Indian summer". Image Credit.

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