Table 1 Soqotra's seasonal calendar

Qeyat (3–4)

Transitional post-winter monsoon season: from March to April.

Rains are sporadic and spotty, but mostly rare. Water and grazing availability is limited.

Pollination of date-palm trees wherever they are cultivated.

Occurs in the spring, but considered as Soqotran `summer'.

Weather is warm to pleasant. Westerly winds affect the southern part of the island.

Celebration of Muslim holiday īd al-ādhā, the main occasion for the sale of large numbers of livestock, esp. sheep, male goats (mi'shur) and ram (kubs) for obligatory sacrificial ritual. Its seasonal occurrence varies as it depends on the lunar calendar.

Gyahsh (4–5)

Spring transitional period between the two monsoons: from mid-April to mid-May.

Expected to bring pre-summer rains to some parts of the island.

Out of season semi-nomadic movement in search of appropriate pastures either in or out of territorial domains.

Overlaps the end of spring and beginning of summer, and buffers the dry doti season.

Relatively hot, as SW winds die down and before SE winds start.

End of tourism season.

Import of animal feed – barley (sha'ir), flour (qahm) and wheat shaft (sabus) – in expectation of absence of rains in the horf season.

Doti (4–6)

Transitional pre-summer monsoon season: from late April to early June.

Unpredictable summer rains, mostly in highland areas, are seen as harbinger of whether or not drought will follow.

Livestock come into season, and sheep and goats are mated to give birth in sereb. Prior to this period, breeding would normally be discouraged in order to avoid birth during water and grazing scarce horf season.

Straddles late spring and early summer.

Weather is generally cool and breezy if it rains.

Out of season semi-nomadic movement from dry to wet areas to feed animals prior to the long dry summer monsoon season.

Grazing grounds in wet areas are covered with grasses. Water availability is variable.

Preferred marriage season, as sufficient cash was accumulated during the previous sereb season.

Extensive out-migration of fishermen from coastal villages around the island and of pastoralists from the hinterland to villages in Hadhramawt and Mahra for one to three months to work as fishermen, herders, or construction labourers.

Horf (6–9)

SW summer monsoon season is the longest on the island. Lasts nearly five months: from mid-June to end of September or early October.

Gale force medeh winds averaging 70 mph. Strongest impact on northern Coastal Plains (CP), and High Mountains (HM), and mildest on Internal Valleys (IV), and Internal Plains (IP).

Economically moribund time of year, as sea is closed to fishing and shipping. Some fishermen from the northern and southern coasts migrate to the mainland to work as fishermen, among other temporary occupations.

Straddles end of summer and mid-fall.

Hottest period of the year and very dry. Absence of rains, thus scarcity of grazing and water.

Closure of school for summer vacation (June-August) and partial migration of residents from northern coast toward hinterland settlements and to date gardens.

Depleting rain water catchments (karifs esp. in west and east) are replenished with purchased water trucked in from Hadiboh wells.

Season for date harvesting, drying and storing for later consumption (esp. during Ramadhan). Also, harvesting of aloe juice (esp. in the west).

Main season for honey production by hundreds of bee-keepers in villages around the island, which has partially replaced wild honey harvesting.

Departure of mainland workers and stoppage of all construction works and road building.

Washing and shearing of sheep wool for weaving rugs, especially in the east where rug production is integral to household activity.

Onset of mezhi period when medeh winds die down and signals the beginning of the main transhumance movement, mezhīro: from higher to lower grounds.

Serebhen (9–10)

Autumn transitional period that straddles end of horf and beginning of sereb. Critical period for pastoralists.

Winter rains late in coming, extending further the preceding five-month dry season.

This period serves as catalyst of the mezhīro transhumant movement, which is usually within the territorial domain of the clan collectives. The severity of water scarcity might necessitate resorting to alternative coping strategies:

From late September and mid-October: transitional months between summer and winter.

Water levels at their lowest, and rangelands are bare, esp. in CP, IP and HP areas.

(a) Activation of mutual aid system, as most affected pastoralists canvass other territories seeking permission from owners to graze their livestock.

(b) Purchasing of cereals such as barley, wheat shaft and flour to feed the herds.

(c) Selective cutting of particular trees, based on local knowledge repertoire, to use as fodder in the absence of grass.

Reopening of schools (Sept-May) and return migration from the hinterland to Hadiboh town especially, but to all coastal settlements.

Sereb (10–2)

NE winter monsoon season: from late October to early February.

Main rainy season from October to December.

Reactivation of economic life, as sea opens for shipping and fishing.

Straddles the fall and winter.

Replenishment of pastures.

Ecotourism season begins.

High water availability in most regions and the replenishment of rain water catchments (karifs and lims).

Parturition season (esp. for goats and sheep), and animals are lactating. Main period for pastoralists to sell two-week-old male kids in Hadiboh.

Main season for milk production and consumption, which reduces dependence on some purchased food items. Also, production of butter oil from cow and goat milk for sale in 1-litre plastic bottles.

Breeding season for cattle in central and eastern regions.

Milder serbihi winds, cold in higher elevation and cool/pleasant in lowland areas.

Home gardening activities (planting and caring) start early in the season.

Greater availability for odd-jobbing opportunities (e.g. construction, tourist guides).

Preferred visiting period of Soqotran émigrés from the Gulf.

Migration from the hinterland to the coast for fishing.

Second honey collecting season depending on rains.

Buying and storing of food (esp. sacks of rice and flour), as form of food security, to last through the next horf season, when there is usually a shortage in local supply or a substantial price hike.

Ramadhan, whatever the season of its occurrence, is a period of custom-obligated meat consumption. The occurrence varies depending on the lunar calendar. This is followed by īd al-ādhā, which is a major occasion for the local sale of livestock.

Return of mainland migrant workers.

Onset of zuhum period, the end of sereb, when kids and lambs are weaned. And beginning of meroqihi, and the return transhumance movement, merqīyo: from lower to higher grounds. This takes place toward the end of January, or later.

Harvesting of vegetables and fruits from home gardens around the island, which are primarily for sale (and not for home consumption) in Hadiboh until the end of February.