Enough

For several days now, Arkas has been showing us how he enjoys the summer, which inspires him greatly. But apart from the cartoonist, his little hero, Thanasakis, also seems to have a weakness for summer and holidays.

Once again, the little boy stars in the sketch, with which Arkas chooses to tell us his “Good morning”.

Thanasakis is next to the sea and seems to be enjoying it. Lying on the beach on a towel and with the hat covering his face, he passes the time. The little one, of course, says the well-known folk phrase “And the month has nine!” A phrase, where according to the interpretation and the history of its creation, it has a positive and somewhat optimistic message.

Where did the phrase “The month has nine” come from?

The prevailing version of where the phrase “the month is nine“, comes from the first years of the existence of the new Greek state. More specifically, when civil servants were paid on the ninth day of the month. Payday used to bring feelings of joy to the workers. It was no small thing for some to have a fixed salary while the appointment lasted, in a time of severe poverty.

However, there is another version, which refers to an older event. Shortly before the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, the Athenians sent a messenger to the Spartans. So they asked them to help them in the war against the Persians. The Spartans were willing to help. But, they had to obey a law that forbade them to fight before the full moon. So they answered the messenger that “it is the ninth of the month and the moon is not full”.

The Spartans did send an army, after the full moon. However, the battle was already over with the triumphant victory of the Greek forces. The phrase “and the month is nine”, now declared abstinence, safety, good time away from the hardships of war.

Finally, a final version of where the phrase comes from is linked to the well-known folk song by Michalis Souyoul and Giorgos Tzavellas, which was released in 1953. This particular attempted interpretation of the phrase is quite convincing and links it to the Ottoman past. There are Turkish words in the song, such as “dunias” and “kazandizim”. The number nine of carelessness is associated with the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar which is the month of Ramadan.

During this month, faithful Muslims do not work, they pray all day and in the evening, at sunset, when the daily fast ends, eating in large quantities is allowed.