Las Cabañuelas are a method without scientific basis to predict the weather. In Mexico, the first 12 days of January are used to predict the weather for each month, meaning that the weather on January 1st predicts the weather for the whole of January, the weather on January 2nd predicts the weather for February, the weather on January 3rd predicts the weather for March, and so on until January 12th, when its weather predicts the weather for December.
What is the Origin of Las Cabañuelas?
The method that uses the first days of January as predictive has its origin in Spain in the Jewish festival of the Cabañas or Tabernacles, which recalls the vicissitudes of the Israelites during their wandering through the desert, outdoors and trying to predict and prevent the weather, all of this symbolized by the precept of living in a temporary hut or sukkah, after abandoning slavery in Egypt.
Are Las Cabañuelas Exclusive to Spain?
The method known as Las Cabañuelas has its origin in Spain, and in Latin America it appears by influence. However, this empirical method appears throughout the world with differences in name and even in the time of year that is taken as predictive, generally associated with the cycles of agriculture. In India, for example, twelve days of the middle of winter are used.
In the north of Spain, a similar system known as Témporas is used, while in Extremadura it is called Canícula, a term that comes from the Latin canis (“dog”) and refers to the constellation Canis Major, whose brightest star, Sirius, appears on the horizon during the warmest period of the year.
