ARE THEY FLEXIBLE SEASONS OR FREAK SEASONS?

The Ga people of Accra, Ghana name their months (months of the year) after seasons. For example they name the month of March as Otsokrikri. Otsokrikri refers to the intensity of radiation from the sun during the month of March. I have dealt with Otsokrikri in two of my recent previous posts. In those posts I did say that the first part of that word, otso- means burn (radiate), and the second part of the word, -krikri indicates the intensity of the radiation. The two parts put together then form the word Otsokrikri which means intense radiation. Another example is the name for the month of April. The Ga name for April is Abɛibe. Again, I am going to split the word Abɛibe into two parts to explain it. The first part, abɛi- means butterfly, and the second part, –be means period, time or era. The two parts together form the word Abɛibe meaning the month (period) for butterfly (or butterflies).

The seasons were time-specific. So when March (Otsokrikri) arrived, it arrived with intense radiation. In the same manner when March passed it went with the intense radiation. I must say the same for the month of April (Abɛibe). When April came it came with butterflies, when April passed it went with the butterflies. Time was when in April you wake up, butterflies sprang from the ground (vegetation) and one could walk through them as they fluttered about.

These days things are different. April arrives without the butterflies, they may appear in subsequent months, and in small quantities.  Otsokrikri (March) is the month to give intense solar radiation. However, now, for example, in other months apart from March, and in addition to March there is intense radiation (heat).

What then is going on? This is not a peculiar phenomenon experienced by the Gas of Accra. Such deviations, so to speak, in seasons are noted elsewhere in the world. Are these flexible seasons or freak seasons? Fellow earthlings, this is food for thought!