The cold season is a season that arrives with particularly interesting aspects, especially in the Hausa land. It also comes with a collection of fascinating cultural practices. Hausa speakers divide the cold season into simple stages, each with its own name:
· Hunturu: The common term for the cold season.
·Kaka: This is the beginning of the cold season, i.e., the harvest time. Animals become fat, fruits are plentiful everywhere, and there is often a lot of dust in the atmosphere.
·Bazara: This is the end of the cold season and the beginning of the hot, dry season. It is a time when plants begin to sprout a little, and trees start to blossom.
.CLOTHING DURING THE COLD SEASON
Regarding the cold weather, the Hausa people have special clothing:
· Winter Cloak (Rigar Sanyi): A thick gown worn over the everyday large gown (babbar riga). It is long, reaching down to the feet, and is heavily lined for protection from the cold.
·Scarf/Woolen Hat (Rawani): This is a special headwear wrapped around the head to protect the body from the cold. They are made of thick wool or cotton, and are wrapped tightly around the head for warmth.
·Thick Trousers: Worn underneath the regular trousers.
.Hot and Warm Food
The cold season is when there is a craving for hot and warm food for protection from the cold. Some winter foods include:
· Miyan Taushe: A thick bean soup eaten with millet or corn swallow. It is spicy and filling.
·Koko: Oat or millet porridge. It is drunk hot in the morning, usually with milk or sugar.
·Gyanwo: A spicy dish made from cassava flour, similar to a swallow but eaten with a spicy soup.
.SOCIAL CUSTOMS
The cold season brings a shift in social traditions:
· Staying Indoors: Because of the cold nights, people increasingly stay inside their homes. This is a time for family bonding.
·Walwala: On cold nights, children and young people gather in warm places like near the outdoor kitchen or inside rooms, telling stories and playing games to entertain each other.
.Taste and Songs
The cold season has become a motif in Hausa music, often portrayed as a time of rest and comfort, or as an example of a bearable hardship.
In songs, "Cold" can be mentioned as something unpleasant, but it can also be used in love songs to express intense love, as in the saying, "My love is like the cold season," meaning it is not weak, but strong and enduring.
.Proverb
There are many proverbs related to the cold season, such as:
· "Hunturu rana, bazara dare." (The cold season is [like] the day, the spring is [like] the night.) This proverb means that everything has an end. The cold season (hunturu) will end, and the dry season (bazara) will come. It is used to encourage that hardship will not last forever.
In general, although the cold season can be difficult, the Hausa people accept it as part of the cycle of life. They use wisdom, art, and food to adorn and endure through the season.