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Table 1 The nomenclature of seasons and the relevant social activities of farmers

From: The rhythms of life in the Himalaya: seasonality and sociality among the Gurung people of the Nhāson Valley

Seasons

English month

Ideal weather pattern

Activity

Ngosho

Mid-Feb to mid-May

Less snowfall and increasingly warmer days

Farming activities like planting and weeding of maize, potatoes, beans and soybeans; arrange community and household rituals

Ergasho

Mid-May to mid-Aug

Misty rain

Harvesting of winter crops; weeding of spring crops (maize and beans); planting of summer crops

Sargasho

Mid-Aug to mid-Nov

Clear sky, dewfall, occasional snowfall

Harvesting of spring crops (maize, potatoes, beans), and summer crops like buckwheat; arrange community rituals

Kuinsho

Mid-Nov to mid-Feb

Snowfall

Collecting of firewood; weaving of woolen blankets; harvesting of summer crops and planting of winter crops; moving livestock to low pasturelands

  1. Source: Field study, 2012–18