Saturday, August 15, 2009

Dog Days End


Click image(s) to see the larger version(s).

This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Whitewolf Productions and is licensed by Creative Commons.

Today marks the official end of the Dog Days of Summer. The term was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to denote the hottest days of summer running for about forty days from roughly July through August. Why "dog"? Because of Sirius the Dog Star. These days were originally the days when Sirius became visible right around sunrise; this is no longer true due to the procession of the equinoxes. Romans were even known to sacrifice dogs to Sirius to appease its rage hoping for a break from the dangerous heat. Because this time was so hot and offered the least rainfall it was/is considered a somewhat evil time when life was precarious and all manner of bad things could take place.

No comments: