August may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pack away your shorts and t-shirts just yet. The fact that this German word exists means there’s still hope for some weeks of warm and pleasant weather.
What does Altweibersommer mean?
In English, an “Indian summer” describes a spell of unexpectedly warm and pleasant weather in autumn, usually occurring sometime between September and November, and marked by sunny skies and mild temperatures.
The origin of the phrase is debated. Among British people there is a widespread assumption it has something to do with England and India. But it seems it was actually first used by early American colonists when they observed the way in which Native Americans took advantage of warm autumn days to continue hunting and harvesting.
In Germany, the same phenomenon is known as an Altweibersommer – pronounced like this.
Literally translating to “old women’s summer,” Altweibersommer breaks down into three parts: alt (old), Weiber (an outdated term for a woman), and Sommer (summer).
Despite the literal meaning, the phrase actually refers to spider webs rather than elderly women. Altweiberfäden is a word for the cobwebs often seen floating in the air during the warm days of early autumn.
Why do I need to know Altweibersommer?
Manifestation is currently having a cultural moment; in the New Age sense of making something happen by willing it into existence.
Oddly, while German has the verb manifestieren, it’s rarely used in this context, with phrases like etwas bewirken (to bring something about), or sich etwas vorstellen und erreichen (to imagine and achieve something) being preferred instead.
READ ALSO: Which German autumn personality type are you?
Nonetheless, according to the concept, if enough people know the word Altweibersommer, and enough people practice saying it out loud – then isn’t it possible this might tip the cosmic scales in favour of a few autumn weeks of warm sunshine and blue skies?
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Ok, perhaps not. But it still doesn’t hurt to try.
Use it like this:
Der Altweibersommer bringt uns warme Tage, bevor der Herbst endgültig einzieht.
The Indian summer brings warm days before autumn finally arrives.
Im Altweibersommer schweben die Spinnweben glitzernd durch die Luft.
During an Indian summer, the spider webs float glittering through the air.
Wir haben ein Picknick im Park gemacht und den Altweibersommer richtig genossen.
We had a picnic in the park and really enjoyed the Indian summer.
