Indian summer is an informal expression given to a period of sunny, warm weather in
autumnAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in March or September when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their seasons, but temperature lag Autumn (also known as...
in the northern hemisphere, typically in late October or early November, after the leaves have turned but before the first snowfall.
It is not used in any sort of legal or formal communication or documentation.
As with all informal expressions, ideas on what constitutes an Indian summer vary widely.
The generally accepted use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear and above 21°C (70°F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S.
Indian summer is an informal expression given to a period of sunny, warm weather in
autumnAutumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in March or September when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.The equinoxes might be expected to be in the middle of their seasons, but temperature lag Autumn (also known as...
in the northern hemisphere, typically in late October or early November, after the leaves have turned but before the first snowfall.
It is not used in any sort of legal or formal communication or documentation.
Usage
As with all informal expressions, ideas on what constitutes an Indian summer vary widely.
The generally accepted use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear and above 21°C (70°F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S. Traditionally, Indian summer can only be a true Indian summer after the first
frostFrost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapor available. Frost is also usually translucent in appearance. There are many types of...
, generally a killing frost, of the season.
In some regions of the southeastern United States, "Indian summer" is colloquially used to describe the hottest times of the year, typically in late July or August. But in the South as elsewhere in the U.S., this period is more commonly known as the
dog daysThe phrase Dog Days or "the dog days of summer", Latin: Caniculae, Caniculares dies, refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere they usually fall between early July and early September. In the Southern hemisphere they are usually between January and early March...
, in reference to the position of
SiriusSirius is the brightest star in the night sky with a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name Sirius is derived from the Ancient Greek Σείριος. The star has the Bayer designation α Canis Majoris...
—the "Dog Star" and brightest star in the northern hemisphere —alongside the sun.
The term "Indian summer" 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
renaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
in the sense of "revival", but it carries the added connotation that the revival is temporary. The most famous use of the phrase in American literature is Van Wyck Brooks' "New England: Indian Summer," a sequel to his Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Flowering of New England."
In Canada, the term 'Indian Summer' refers to a period of warm weather in September or October, sometimes after the first frost.
The etymology of "Indian summer"
The expression "Indian summer" has been used for more than two centuries. The earliest known use was by French American writer
St. John de CrevecoeurMichel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecœur , naturalized in New York as John Hector St. John, was a French-American writer. He was born in Caen, Normandy, France, to the Comte and Comtesse de Crèvecœur .-Biography:In 1755 he immigrated to New France in North America...
in rural
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1778. There are several theories as to its
etymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and...
:
- In The Americans, The Colonial Experience, Daniel J. Boorstin
Daniel Joseph Boorstin was an American historian, professor, attorney, and writer. He was appointed twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1975 until 1987.- Biography:...
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 OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
and IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
in 1790, and PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
in 1794.
- It may be so named because this was the traditional period during which early North American First Nations
First Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada, who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 600 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread all across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia...
/Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
harvested their crops of squash and cornMaize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
.
- In the same way that Indian giver
Indian giver is a North American English expression used to describe a person who gives a gift and later wants it back, or something equivalent in return....
was coined for people who take back presents they have bestowed (like the new government repeatedly did to the indians), the phrase Indian summer may simply have been a way of saying "false summer."
Similar usages in Europe
In former times in Europe,
Indian summer was called
Saint Martin's Summer, referring to
St. Martin's daySt. Martin's Day is November 11, the feast day of Martin of Tours, who started out as a Roman soldier. He was baptized as an adult and became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life...
, 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
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, 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
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, it is called
Veranillo de San Miguel or
Veranillo de San Martín, depending on which date it occurs. It can also be called
Veranillo del Membrillo (little summer of the
quinceThe Quince , or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus region...
).
In Russia, it is called Women's Summer / Babye Leto (Бабье лето), in Poland -
Babie Lato and in Croatia
Bablje ljeto. In Galicia (northern
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
), it is called
Veraniño de San Martiño, and in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
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 in reference to the magical nature of fire), a celebration of Celtic origins in which bonfires, roasted chestnuts and wine have an important role.
In
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
, the phenomenon is sometimes called "
GypsyThe term gypsy was a common term used to describe Romani people or Travelers.-Etymology:The Oxford English Dictionary states that a gypsy is a...
Summer" and in some places "Gypsy Christmas" and refers to unseasonably warm weather in late fall, or a warm spell in between cold periods.
In
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
it is called "brittsommar", which is derived from
BirgittaBirgitta is the Swedish form of the Irish Gaelic female name Brighid. Brighid was the name of an ancient Celtic goddess, and its English form is Bridget. Birgitta and its alternate form Birgit became common names in Scandinavia because of St. Bridget of Sweden....
and Britta, who have their "name day" in the Swedish calendar on October 7. That is when Britt Mass, an official fall open-air market, was held.
In
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
it is called "Altweibersommer", in
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
"vénasszonyok nyara" (Old Ladies Summer or Crone's Summer) because the many white spider silks seen at this time of the year have been associated with the
nornsThe Norns are a kind of dísir, numerous female beings who rule the fates of the various races of Norse mythology....
of Norse folklore or medieval witches.
An alternative to St Martin's summer was "Saint Luke's summer", as the saint's feast day is October 18. Another alternative was "All-hallown summer", as
HalloweenHalloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Gaelic pagan festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a secular celebration but some have expressed strong feelings about perceived religious overtones...
is October 31; the expression is used in
Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part 1Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
, Act 1 Scene 2.
There are around 43 different theories concerning the origin of the term.
External links