NIELS JØRGEN THØGERSEN
S E PT E M B E R And all its 30 days Niels Jørgen Thøgersen The name September comes from the Latin word Septem, which means seven. This month was the year’s seventh month, according to the old Roman Numa calendar. The years began on March 1. In our contemporary calendar this month as we know is the 9th of the year. The old Danish name for this month is Fiskemåned ( Fish Month ). The reason was now that the fishermen caught the fat autumn herrings, which were salted and stored for the winter. These herrings were also a welcome product for the fast period in the Catholic countries. The scale of the export of these fat autumn herrings was the economic basis of Denmark's position as a superpower in the 17th century. September also had its own specific verses in the old days in Denmark: Now, the farmers can treat the grain, And the fishermen catch the herring fresh. Lard I like much to eat and lovely sheep's milk and goat's milk too. The old Danish weather warnings also have something to contribute to September: • It will be a mild weather at Christmas, if the migratory birds have gone before September is over • Thunderstorms this month promise a cold Christmas with a lot of snow • Many acorn on the oaks warn about snow and cold weather at Christmas There are two so-called Tycho Brahes Days this month: the 16th and the 18th. The day’s length in Denmark decreases by 2 hours and 16 minutes during the month. The lowest temperature in September was measured in 1886 and was at minus 5.6 degrees. The highest temperature was measured in 1906 and was at 32.3 degrees. The rain for the whole month has been between 18 mm (1947) and 162 mm (1994).