It’s already June,
or, in Finnish, kesäkuu. Kesä, to most modern day Finns,
means ’summer’. The month of summer? Makes sense, it being…
well, summer and all. Right?
Well, it's not quite
that simple (you knew I’d say that, didn’t you?). As it happens,
the old(er) Finnish word, in some dialects at least, for summer is
suvi,
while
kesä
originally referred to something else, namely kesanto –
fallow farmland, i.e. unseeded land. Apparently, June was a time when
such fallow land was ploughed and thus this task gave its name to the
entire month (and then the season), making it another month name that has its origins in farm work.
I don't happen to have a picture of such fallow land, so instead you'll get a photo of our front lawn and a June baby (well, no longer a baby) reading a book. :)
I don't happen to have a picture of such fallow land, so instead you'll get a photo of our front lawn and a June baby (well, no longer a baby) reading a book. :)
Wow, this photo brings me back to those summer days spent at my grandma's house, reading in her garden! :) The italian term for summer, "estate", derives from the latin "aestatem" which means "heat", instead! I wish you and your family a happy summer!!
ReplyDeleteHi there, nice to see you again! :)
DeleteThose summer days in your grandma's garden sound wonderful! Thanks for telling me about the Italian term for summer and its origins (words are fascinating!).
Have a lovely summer! :)