Norwegian word of the day: Røtmåneden
The period stretching from the last week in July to the last week in August has been referred to as 'røtmåneden', bringing changing weather and unnatural events.
What does røtmåneden mean?
This means the red moon in English. The month gets its name from the weather at this time of year, where high humidity and warm temperatures mean food spoils and rots quicker. It can therefore be translated into English as "the rot month".
Due to the higher likelihood of food spoiling, some tasks, such as the slaughter of animals, were left until after the rot month ended, and people often avoided bathing, which can't have been particularly pleasant during the hottest and muggiest part of the year.
We wouldn't recommend that you avoid bathing this month, but paying extra attention to how you handle and store your food over the next few weeks might be a good idea.
Many Norwegians who love baking will say that this period is marked by it being impossible to properly whip cream.
Norwegians weren't the first to realise something strange about this period, which can also be called the hundedagene or the dog days. This refers to the dog days of summer – normally the hottest days of summer.
The name comes from Canis Major, or the Great Dog, the constellation appears in the sky around this time.
This constellation and its brightest star, Sirius, were considered in Greek astrology to be connected to heat, drought, thunderstorms, fever, mad dogs and general bad luck.
In regard to weather, Norway may be locked in for more bad weather as the dog days so far have been marked by rainfall.
Røtmåneden is more common than hundedagene in Norway, especially in eastern Norway.
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What does røtmåneden mean?
This means the red moon in English. The month gets its name from the weather at this time of year, where high humidity and warm temperatures mean food spoils and rots quicker. It can therefore be translated into English as "the rot month".
Due to the higher likelihood of food spoiling, some tasks, such as the slaughter of animals, were left until after the rot month ended, and people often avoided bathing, which can't have been particularly pleasant during the hottest and muggiest part of the year.
We wouldn't recommend that you avoid bathing this month, but paying extra attention to how you handle and store your food over the next few weeks might be a good idea.
Many Norwegians who love baking will say that this period is marked by it being impossible to properly whip cream.
Norwegians weren't the first to realise something strange about this period, which can also be called the hundedagene or the dog days. This refers to the dog days of summer – normally the hottest days of summer.
The name comes from Canis Major, or the Great Dog, the constellation appears in the sky around this time.
This constellation and its brightest star, Sirius, were considered in Greek astrology to be connected to heat, drought, thunderstorms, fever, mad dogs and general bad luck.
In regard to weather, Norway may be locked in for more bad weather as the dog days so far have been marked by rainfall.
Røtmåneden is more common than hundedagene in Norway, especially in eastern Norway.
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