Hundstage or Dog Days refer to the hottest days of the year (in the Northern hemisphere), July 23 until August 23. Though in some sources the dates start earlier and/or last longer. This weather lore is not limited to Germany.
In the Brother Grimm’s dictionary (they begun their work in 1838), Hundstage are defined as “die Sommertage, in denen der hitzige Hundsstern regiert”; summer days reigned by the heated dog star. In the 14th century, these days were also called huntlîche tage, It was such a common expression that you could find Hundstage not just in (astronomical) calendars but also in writings by Martin Luther, Goethe, and Heinrich Heine. The same is true for the English “dog days” which is referenced in Dickens and most recently in the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
History
The expression Hundstage has nothing to do with dogs per se but gets its name from the constellation Canis Major (“big dog”, in German, Großer Hund). Sirius, which is part of this constellation, is also called “dog star” and rises with the sun in late July. Or rather it used to rise in July when the Romans coined the term “dies caniculares” (puppy days).
Today, Sirius rises about four weeks later, theoretically pushing the dog days from late July to late August. However, the expression ‘dog days’ or ‘Hundstage’ still refers to the hottest days of the year regardless that the Canis Major can’t be seen until the end of August.
Hundstage in Pop Culture
The 2001 Austrian movie “Hundstage”, directed by Ulrich Seidl, takes place during the hottest days of summer in Vienna and reveals the human chasms in six interconnected stories.
It won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Here is a scene from the movie. The trailer is age-restricted and therefore I cannot link it here.
In his 1988 novel “Hundstage”, Walter Kempowski tells the story of writer Alexander Sowtschick who spends the dog days of summer in an idyllic place in northern Germany, away from his home and wife, fully focused on his newest work. But the idyllic atmosphere is soon interrupted by unexpected events and a murder, circumstances that force Sowtschick to confront his inner demons.
Image of book: Von Verlagsgruppe Random House (Diskussion) – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons 34126445
Postcard from 1903
Heisse Hundstags-Grüsse!
Herrgott die Hitz’!
Und wie ich schwitz’
Kann kaum mehr schnaufen,
I glaub, i könnt heut – Wasser saufen!
Lordy! The heat!
And how I’m sweating
Can barely breathe
I think I could guzzle water today.
Hundstags-Regeln
Wenig laufen,
Recht viel sitzen,
Garnichts denken,
Immer schwitzen!
Erfreulich ist des Körpers Fülle
Nicht immer, wie Du dies hier siehst,
Besonders, wenn zur Hundstagsschwüle
Man solch’ lebend’ger Fettfleck ist!
Gruss aus Rotterdam (handschriftlich)
Dog Days Rules
Minimal walking,
a lot of sitting,
thinking nothing,
always sweating!
Pleasant is the body’s fullness
not always, as you can see here,
Especially, when during the dog days’ oppressiveness
One is a such a living grease stain.
Greetings from Rotterdam (handwritten)
Sources and Resources
- Wiki – Hundstage
- History.com
- Deutsches (Grimmsches) Wörterbuch
