Have you ever wondered where the phrase “dog days of summer” came from or what it actually means? Well, with the hottest, sultriest days of summer upon us (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway), ‘ole Quaz decided to do a little research and find out.
Being a cat, I originally thought the “dog days of summer” meant that the weather was so hot, it turned dogs into panting, drooling oafs that just wanted to lie around and sleep all day (hey, wait a minute… the lying around and sleeping all day part of that sounds a bit like a cat!). But no. The term actually dates back to the olden days and has to do with the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, which is also known as the Dog Star.
Sirius was nicknamed the “Dog Star” by the ancient Egyptians in honor of a god named Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog (poor sap!). For around 20 days beginning in late July, Sirius actually rises and sets with the sun, so the Egyptians and Romans put two and two together and concluded that Sirius added its heat to the sun and made things extra hot… hence, the name “dog days of summer.”
Now this is all fine and good, but I DEMAND equal time for cats! Since we kitties are so cool, I think the powers that be should pick out a period in September or October, when things begin to turn a bit chilly, and call it the “cat days of fall.” Don’t you agree?
Being a cat, I originally thought the “dog days of summer” meant that the weather was so hot, it turned dogs into panting, drooling oafs that just wanted to lie around and sleep all day (hey, wait a minute… the lying around and sleeping all day part of that sounds a bit like a cat!). But no. The term actually dates back to the olden days and has to do with the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, which is also known as the Dog Star.
Sirius was nicknamed the “Dog Star” by the ancient Egyptians in honor of a god named Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog (poor sap!). For around 20 days beginning in late July, Sirius actually rises and sets with the sun, so the Egyptians and Romans put two and two together and concluded that Sirius added its heat to the sun and made things extra hot… hence, the name “dog days of summer.”
Now this is all fine and good, but I DEMAND equal time for cats! Since we kitties are so cool, I think the powers that be should pick out a period in September or October, when things begin to turn a bit chilly, and call it the “cat days of fall.” Don’t you agree?
1 comment:
Cats got a lot of attention in Egypt a long and long time ago. They were worshiped and mummy-fied. Let's give the dogs a little something...
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