Grammar fact sheet: year, months and seasons

 
Topics
  1. Year
  2. Months
  3. Seasons



Year
 
The Zarma society is mainly a Islamic society. Therefore the months (handu) are linked to the lunar Islamic calendar.  A year (jiri) is about 10 days (hane or jirbi) shorter using the Islamic lunar calendar than when using the solar calendar. And so the various feast days shift backwards that many days each year. There are different words in Zarma to express last year, next year, et cetera.
 
Expressions with year
Zarma English
jiri year [for counting years]
yesi next year
yesi fo year after next
jiri wo, haraŋ this year
mannaŋ last year
mannaŋ fo another last year, usually two years
mannaŋ fo wongo 3 years ago
mannaŋ fo a jiri iddu haraŋ a previous year, it 's 6 years ago this year
Kaa Yesi ! May next year come !
Irikoy m´iri cabe yesi ! May God show us next year !
Irikoy m´iri cabe yesi nda baani ! May God show us next year in health !
Irikoy m´iri cabe yesi mansaŋcine ! May God show us next year as of now !

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Months (25)
 
The Zarma names of the months (handu) are linked to the Islamic lunar calendar.  However many Zarma don't know the names of the month of this calendar, especially the first six. Everyone knows the fast month (me haw), and the month of the sacrifice (cimsi), but probably not one in ten could recite to you the whole twelve. Most how now are older people (dottijey).

A lunar month begins with the first day the new moon is visible. This is not at what we call "new moon".
 

Lunar and Islamic calendar
Lunar / Islamic

Zarma

Literal translation

Alternative

 1st /  5th dadab beri big grope around dadabu beeri
 2nd /  6th dadab kayna small grope around dadabu kayna
 3rd /  7th gani dance gaani
 4th /  8th gani banda after dance gaani banda
 5th /  9th bine kuna inside the heart binkuna
 6th / 10th bambana -  
 7th / 11th way zeno me haw old woman mouth tie up way zeeno
 8th / 12th ce konno warm foot ce wasso (D)
 9th /  1st me haw mouth tie up  
10th /  2nd me feri mouth untie  
11th /  3rd fulanzam to rest  
12th /  4th cimsi not truth (Tabaski) cibsi
 
In daily life often the Roman calendar is used as well. The names are derived from the French pronunciation of the name of the month.
 
Roman calendar
number English French Zarma 1
1 January janvier janeru
2 February févier faberu
3 March mars marsu
4 April avril afrillu
5 May mai mayu
6 June juin yuni
7 July juillet yuli
8 August août agusta
9 September septembre satumba
10 October octobre oktoba
11 November novembre nuwamba
12 December décembre disamba

                              1 information provided by Hadji Somaco Pastor (Antwerp, Belgium)

 
There are different ways in Zarma to express last month, next month, et cetera.
 
Expressions with month
Zarma English
handu month (also: moon)
handu wo this month
handu kan bu last month
handu teji next month; next moon
handu bene month after next

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Seasons
 

The seasons in land locked semi arid Niger are determined by occurrence or absence of rain and the temperature. There are no fixed dates for the beginning or the end of a season. Seasons are unequal of length among themselves, and their individual length may vary from one year to another. For example, the rainy season may start as early as April or as late as July, depending on when the rains actually start.
 
Seasons
Zarma Type of season Normal period Activities
hayni, hayno hot and dry March - May preparation of fields
kaydiya warm and rainy June - September farming season
hemar, hemaro warm and dry October harvest season
jaw, jawo
(hargu, hargo)
cold and dry November - February non-farming activities
 
Information about the climate in western Niger in cities along the river

Gaya (west, south)
Niamey (west, central)
Tillabéri (west, north)
 

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Last updated: 05 februari 2012