by Fr. David Subu
Dog days bright and clear
Indicate a good year;
But when accompanied by rain,
We hope for better times in vain.
It’s no secret that August in the DC region is a quiet time. Typically, the heat and humidity is at its height (though that may be changing with the weather we’ve already seen here) and historically this was a time when government leaders left the area for vacations. Many of us will be preparing for a new school year for ourselves or our children, putting off necessary shopping until the last minute or being very responsible about it.
These days are called the “Dog Days of summer.” Most of us will conjure an image in our mind of a panting dog, its tongue rolling out the side of its mouth as it tries to find relief from the heat. But the origin of the phrase is very ancient. According to the Old Falmer’s Almanac, during late July through August, the brightest star in the sky, known as Sirius, “the Dog Star,” in the Canis Major (Greater Dog) constellation is rising with the dawn. The Ancient associated the star with the hot weather and even the name Sirius means “scorching.” For the Egyptians it marked a time of annual flooding for the Nile that was an important renewal of life for the region, essential for their agriculture.
For the Greeks and Romans, it represented a less enjoyable time, one of drought, disease, and discomfort. A 2009 Finnish study actually found rates of infection to be higher at this time, much to their surprise. The Ancient Greek poet Alcaeus ruefully suggested his countrymen to “steep their lungs in wine” before the Dog days since "women are at their foulest but men are weak since they are parched in head and knees." In America, we might see all of the above, not to mention tornadoes if you live in the middle of the country.
The Church’s calendar reflects the life and worldview of the ancients still with its many special holy days. St. Elias (July 20) is appropriately associated with rain, and it is considered a good omen if it rains on his feast day. At the beginning of August, we celebrate a procession of the Cross as a healing prayer, and a lesser blessing of holy waters for the faithful. In ancient Constantinople, the great relic of the True Cross was taken in procession through the streets on every day of the Dormition fast for the faithful to venerate as a rebuke against disease in the city. Some of you may remember or even participated in our own version of this during the recent pandemic, when we drove around the Capitol in a caravan of cars with our small relic of the True Cross in the first vehicle.
On August 1st it is also traditional to bless new honey. On the feast of Transfiguration (August 6) there is a blessing first fruits and nuts and the feast of Dormition (August 15) blesses fragrant herbs and flowers, all for healing and good health. Dormition itself follows the astrological end of the Dog days and is perhaps a sign of reprieve and the decline of the heat. The feast itself is celebrate for nine days, and at one point in history, even until the end of the month. All of these special celebrations are the “God-days” of summer, making up their own special holy season of fasting and feasting.
These blessings of foods and flowers especially brought God into the daily lives of the people who depended on Him (and good weather) to bring these agricultural products to fruition, which was normative even in America until quite recently. These prayers hope for a bit of sweetness and uplifting fragrance and beauty in a difficult time of the year. Nowadays we are less sensitive to these challenges, going to grocery stores and living in air conditioning, so our awareness of Providence has become quite spoiled, though our produce is fresh. Perhaps rising temperatures might reawaken our awareness in the days to come.
Each year, each day, we can easily miss the opportunity to bring God our dog-days to be blessed and transformed. Rather let us give thanks for all the blessings bestowed on us, great and small, even during difficult times, so that our lives will be both sweetened and lightened. May God bless and illumine your last days of summer this year and every!
