30/09/2024
Xhosa Calendar.
The Xhosa months of the year are poetically named after stars and seasonal plants of Southern Africa. The Xhosa year traditionally began in June and ended in May, when Canopus, the brightest star visible in the Southern Hemisphere, signalled the time for harvesting. In urban areas today, anglicised versions of the months are used, especially by the younger generation. But in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape – the old names still stand.
Unyaka wesiXhosa ngokwesiko wawuqala ngoJuni uze uphele ngoMeyi, xa iCanopus, eyona nkwenkwezi iqaqambileyo ibonakala kuMazantsi eHemisphere, yabonisa ixesha lokuvuna. Kwiindawo zasezidolophini namhlanje, iinguqulelo ze-anglicised zeenyanga zisetyenziswa, ngakumbi kwisizukulwana esincinci. Kodwa ezilalini zaseMpuma Koloni – amagama amadala asamile
January - EyoMqungu (month of the Tambuki Grass)
February - EyoMdumba (month of the swelling grain)
March - EyoKwindla (month of the first fruits)
April - uTshaz'iimpuzi (month of the withering pumpkins)
May - uCanzibe (month of Canopus)
June - EyeSilimela (month of the Pleiades)
July - EyeKhala (month of the aloes)
August - EyeThupha (month of the buds)
September - EyoMsintsi (month of the coast coral tree)
The indigenous Xhosa name for September is “inyanga yomSintsi”, or “eyomSintsi”, which means “month of the coast coral tree (Erythrina caffra)”. This is the month when the coast coral tree is in full bloom, with its bright orange blossoms, and it is also the sowing time for sorghum and maize.
October - EyeDwarha (month of the tall yellow daisies)
November - EyeNkanga (month of the small yellow daisies)
December - EyoMnga - (month of the acacia thorn tree)
