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Sunshower

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This article is about the meteorological phenomenon. For commercial products with the name "Sunshower", see Sunshower (commercial product). For the Thelma Houston album, see Sunshower (album). For the song, see Sunshowers.
A sunshower over a parking lot.

A sunshower or sun shower is a meteorological phenomenon in which rain falls while the sun is shining.[1] These conditions often lead to the appearance of a rainbow, if the sun is at a low enough angle.[1] Although used in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Britain, the term "sunshower" is rarely found in dictionaries.[2] Additionally, the phenomenon has a wide range of sometimes remarkably similar folkloric names in cultures around the world.[3] A common theme is that of clever animals getting married or related to the devil, although many variations of parts of this theme exist.[2][3]

Folkloric names

A sunshower over Waller creek in Austin, Texas.

Animals

  • In Afrikaans, this phenomemon, i.e. when it rains and the sun shines is referred to as Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou, meaning 'Jackal marries wolf's wife[4]'.[5]
  • In Bangladesh, the Fox is getting married "shial mamar bia hosse"
  • In Brazil, "Casamento da Raposa" (Fox's Wedding) or "Sun and rain (sol e chuva), Widow's (viúva) marriage".
  • In Bulgaria, there is a saying about a bear and a fox getting married.[2]
  • In El Salvador, the traditional belief is that the deer is giving birth.
  • In Eritrea, the traditional belief is that the hyena is giving birth.
  • In France, it is called "le mariage du loup" or "the wolf's wedding"
  • In Hawaii, it is known as "Ghost Rain".
  • In Japan, it is known as "kitsune no yomeiri", or "the kitsune's wedding", and means a fox's wedding ceremony is being held.
  • In Kenya, hyenas are getting married.
  • In Korea, a male tiger gets married to a fox.
  • In Mazandarani language, in north of Iran, it is also called "the jackal’s wedding".
  • In Morocco, it is the "wolf's wedding".
  • In Nepal (Nepali), it is called "the foxes wedding" or "gham-paani, gham-paani shyal ko bihe" which literally translates to "Sunshine-rain, sunshine-rain, the fox is getting married". In fact there's a local song dedicated to Sunshower.
  • In Pashto, it is also called "Da gidarh wade" or "the jackal's wedding".
  • In Pakistani Punjab, it is also called "Kani gidh Da waye" or "one eye jackal's wedding".
  • In Philippines, the traditional belief is that the wedding of a tikbalang is being held.
  • In Sinhala, it is called "the foxes wedding" (අව්වයි වැස්සයි, නරියගෙ මගුලයි.).
  • In South African English, a sunshower is referred to as a "monkey’s wedding", a loan translation of the Zulu umshado wezinkawu, a wedding for monkeys.[2]
  • In Sudan, the Donkey and Monkey are getting married.
  • In various African languages, leopards are getting married.
  • In Sweden it's called "vitterväder".
  • In Trinidad and Tobago, it is called "Monkey Marriddin" or monkeys getting married.
  • In parts of the United Kingdom, it is referred to as "a monkey's birthday".
  • In Tanzania, they say "Simba anazaa" - literally "the lioness is giving birth."

India

  • In Bengali, it is called "the foxes wedding".
  • In Gujarat, it is called "naago varsaad", meaning Naked Rain.
  • In Hindi, it is also called "the foxes wedding".[2]
  • In Kannada, it is called "Kaage Nari maduve" which means Crow and fox getting married" (ಕಾಗೆ ನರಿ ಮದುವೆ)
  • In Konkani, it is called "a monkey's wedding".
  • In Maharashtra (Marathi), it is called "Nagda Paaus" literally meaning "Naked Rain".
  • In Malayalam language, it is said as Fox's wedding (kurukkande kalyanam)
  • In Oriya, it is called "the foxes wedding"(ଶିଆଳ ମାନେ ବାହା ହେଉଛନ୍ତି ).
  • In Tamil Nadu, South India, the Tamil speaking people say that the fox and the crow/raven are getting married (காக்காவுக்கும் நரிக்கும் கல்யாணம்).
  • In Telugu, it is called "Yenda Vanala, kukkala nakkala pelli" which means "Dogs and Foxes getting married in the sunshowers" (ఎండా వానలో కుక్కల, నక్కల పెళ్ళి).

Devils

In the United States, particularly in the Southern United States, and in Hungary as well, a sunshower is said to show that "the devil is beating his wife" (or, more rarely, "the devil is beating his wife with a walking stick") because he is angry God created a beautiful day. The rain is said to be his wife's tears. A regional variant from Tennessee is "the devil is kissing his wife".[6][7] In French, the phrase is "Le diable bat sa femme et marie sa fille"[8] (i.e., "the devil is beating his wife and marrying his daughter"). In the Netherlands they say that there is a "funfair going on in hell".[9] In St. Kitts and Nevis, when rain is falling and the sun is shining, it is said that 'D devil a bang he wife'. In Liberia, it is said that "the devil is fighting with his wife over a chicken bone."

Other variations

  • In Lithuanian and Estonian (vaeslapse pisarad), the phenomenon is described as "orphans' tears", where the sun is the grandmother drying those tears.
  • In Russian, it is called грибной дождь (gribnoy dozhd'), "mushroom rain", as such conditions are considered favorable to growing mushrooms.[10]
  • In Indonesian, the phenomenon is the sign of someone who is rich and well known has died in the place where the sunshower happened, so the sky is showing its condolences.
  • In Catalonia it is said that the witches are brushing their hair, "les bruixes es pentinen".
  • In Afrikaans it is said that Wolf is marrying Jackal's wife, "Jakkals trou met Wolf se vrou".
  • In the Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico and The Dominican Republic, it is said that a witch is getting married.
  • In Trinidad and Tobago, "Sun shining, Rain falling, Monkey marrying"
  • In Haiti, it is said that a zombie is beating his wife for salty food. Devil is sometimes interchanged for zombie.
  • In Argentina, it is said that an old woman is getting married.
  • In Croatia, it is said that gypsies are getting married, "Cigani se žene".
  • In Macedonia, it is also said that gypsies are getting married, "Циганка се мажи", and also that a bear is getting married, "Мечка се жени/мажи".
  • In the Netherlands, a sunshower is sometimes called "chicken carnival".

Modern cultural references

Poster for Akira Kurosawa's 1990 film "Dreams", which features a fox wedding

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Symonds, Steve, Weather Terms - Wild Weather, 2004, ABC North Coast, Retrieved November 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e Quinion, Michael, Monkey's Wedding, 2001, World Wide Words, Retrieved November 2006
  3. ^ a b Vaux, Bert, Sunshower summary, 1998,linguistlist.org, retrieved November 2006
  4. ^ http://www.taaloord.co.za/taalberigte.htm
  5. ^ http://www.mieliestronk.com/idiomeboekej.html
  6. ^ Sunshower at Word Detective. Accessed August 6, 2007.
  7. ^ Sunshower Devil Thread on Snopes.com. Accessed August 6, 2007.
  8. ^ Samson, D. N. (1920). English into French: Five Thousand English Locutions Rendered into Idiomatic French, London: Humphrey Milford at Oxford University Press (digital copy at Archive.org, OCLC 259775152), p. 102: "It rains and shines at the same time : Le diable bat sa femme et marie sa fille"
  9. ^ http://www.woorden.org/spreekwoord.php?woord=kermis%20in%20de%20hel
  10. ^ A Way with Words

Bibliography

  • Blust, Robert (1998) The Fox's Wedding. Manuscript, University of Hawaii.
  • Evgen'jeva, A. P., ed. (1985-) Slovar' russkogo jazyka v 4 tomakh, 3rd edition. Moscow.
  • Kuusi, Matti (1957) Regen bei Sonnenschein: Zur Weltgeschichte einer Redensart. "Folklore Fellows Communications" n. 171, Helsinki 1957 (it appeared translated into Italian in the journal "Quaderni di Semantica" 13 (1992) and 14 (1993)).
  • Hoffmann-Krayer, E. (1930–31) Handwörterbuch des deutschen Aberglaubens. Berlin and Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter.
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