Week 31: “Air is Humid”

July 29 – August 05 is the 31st week of 2024.  This week, we complete the Solar Term of Major Heat  (July 22 – Aug 06), and the micro-season for this week is “Earth is Damp, Air is Humid.” (Jul 29 – Aug 02).

Basho, Issa, Buson, and Reichhold wrote the poems for this week.

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The 24 Solar Terms 

The 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China  (206 BCE and 24 CE) to help guide their agricultural activities. Each solar term is 15 days long and is based on the climate around Xi’an, the capital of China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). ⁽¹⁾

Major Heat is the twelfth Solar Term of the year and the sixth, and final, Solar Term of Summer. Dashu (大暑) is the Chinese name for this season. Dashu means “Extreme heat”. ⁽²⁾ This is usually the hottest time of the year. 

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The 72 Seasons

The 72-season calendar was established in 1685 by Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai.  Each season lasts for about 5 days and offers “a poetic journey through the Japanese year in which the land awakens and blooms with life and activity before returning to slumber.”⁽⁴⁾

 The micro-season for this week is  “Earth is Damp, Air is Humid” (Jul 29 – Aug 02).

Humidity

Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor present in the air. It is measured using three key terms: absolute humidity, relative humidity, and dew point. 

Absolute humidity represents the actual amount of water vapor per cubic meter of air, while relative humidity compares the amount of water vapor in the air to the maximum amount of water vapor that the air can hold at a given temperature. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air, so the relative humidity would be higher on a cold day and lower on a warm day with the same absolute humidity. Relative humidity is measured as a percentage.

The dew point is the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into water droplets. A higher dew point temperature indicates more water vapor in the air. Dew point is often used to measure how “muggy” it feels outdoors, with dew points in the 50s being comfortable, 60s being uncomfortable, and 70s being very humid and uncomfortable.

While dew point and relative humidity are related, they are not the same. Relative humidity is determined by both the dew point and the actual air temperature. If the dew point temperature and the actual air temperature are the same, and the relative humidity is 100%.^(5,6,7)

The Heat Index

The Heat Index, often referred to as the apparent temperature, represents the perceived temperature by the human body when relative humidity and air temperature are combined. It is determined through a complex mathematical equation that calculates an apparent outdoor temperature based on humidity levels and temperature. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has created a chart that helps calculate the heat index.⁽⁸⁾ 

As you can see in the chart, Caution is advised when the heat index is as low as 80°F – 90°F. When the heat index reaches between 90°F – 103°F, Extreme Caution is recommended and there is a possibility of heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion with prolonged exposure or physical activity.  103°F – 124°F is considered the Danger level where heat cramps or heat exhaustion is likely, and heat stroke is possible. 103°F – 124°F is Extreme Danger and heat stroke is very likely.

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Astronomical Season

Aug 05, is the last day of week 31.  Aug 05 is 45 days past the summer solstice and 59 days until the Autumn Equinox (September 22, 2024).  

The New Moon

The new Moon in August occurs on Aug 04, 2024.  A new Moon is when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun.  This puts the Moon’s shadow toward the Earth making it difficult for us to see.

If we look at the field of astrology, we find that August’s new moon coincides with the astrological sign of Leo (July 23 – August 22). Jill Wintersteen, a columnist for Yoga Journal, shares the following insight about this time of year:  

“This season is a time to ask yourself what you are ready to share with the world. It may not come out as a loud roar, but it’s important that you honor your inner messages and transmit the ones that are ready for an audience. Expressing yourself like this can make you feel exposed. This vulnerability, though, is how you build courage. It happens when you take off your armor and let yourself be seen for who you are and how you feel.”⁽⁹⁾

If you want to learn more about June’s new Moon and the field of astrology, read Wintersteen’s full article.

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Haiku and Kigo 

The kigo, or season word, is one of the key parts of the haiku.  The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society provides us with the following explanation for why we use kigo in haiku. 

“A kigo is a poetic device used in haiku to denote a season; it’s a powerful word or phrase that can conjure up many allusions, historical references, spiritual meanings, and/or cultural traditions. Its use in haiku, a poem of few words, is especially effective because of this power to expand its meaning beyond the literal and to create a larger aura of seasonal mood, historical/ literary context, and/or cultural implications.”⁽⁹⁾

Visit The Haiku Foundation’s “New To Haiku: What is a Kigo?” for more information

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This Week’s Kigo

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto “thin clothes”, “swimming”, “summer kimono”, and “cooling on the porch” are all summer kigo that talk about ways people deal with the increased heat and humidity. 

In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku, “swimming”, “sweat”, and “sleeping outdoors” are some similar summer kigo.

With all this in mind, let’s read some haiku. 

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Basho

hydrangeas— 
at the time for summer clothes 
pale blue.
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

summer robes: 
still some lice 
I've yet to pick 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

Issa

the sky colors
of dawn have changed
to summer clothes
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

just for fun
the locust goes swimming...
lake
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

mopping sweat--
at his tomb I tell my story
then go
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

polished to a shine
by my sweat...
cherry blossoms
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

Joyfully wading
across a summer stream 
sandals in hand
(translated by Allan Persinger)

100 summer days 
writing calligraphy —
mindfulness
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Reichhold

swimmers
afternoon heat
underwater

the rocky river
our knees a buzz
with the current

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Haiku Invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu about how you deal with the heat and humidity.

Share your haiku in the comments below, or post on your page and link back. I can’t wait to read what you write! 

Formatting Note:  To eliminate the spaces between the lines of your haiku, hit shift-enter at the end of the line.  For example,

one (shift-enter)
line two (shift-enter)
the third line (shift-enter)

Thanks to LaMon for sharing these instructions!

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Thank You!

About the Haiku

Basho’s haiku were retrieved from “Matsuo Bashō’s haiku poems in romanized Japanese with English translations” Editor: Gábor Terebess. Issa’s haiku were retrieved from David G. Lanoue’s Haiku Guy. Buson’s haiku was retrieved from Foxfire: the Selected Poems of Yosa Buson, a Translation by Allan Persinger. Jane Reichhold’s haiku was retrieved from the Dictionary of Haiku. Kerouac’s haiku was retrieved from Kerouac’s Book of Haikus.

1. “The 24 Solar Terms”; China Educational Tours
2. “6 Solar Terms of Summer”; China Educational Tours
3. 72 Seasons App
4. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
5. “What is Humidity”; Scijinks NOAA
6. “Discussion on Humidity”; National Weather Service
7. “Humidity”; National Geographic
8. “Heat Index”; National Weather Service
9. Wintersteen, Jill. “What the New Moon in Leo Means for You”. Yoga Journal