Where Did This Term Originate and What is its Definition Today?
The term 鈥淚ndian Summer鈥 has been around for centuries. What is an Indian Summer or Second Summer? Where did this term originate, and what is its meaning today? Learn more.
For over two centuries, The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 has gone by the adage: 鈥淚f All Saints鈥 (November 1) brings out winter, St. Martin鈥檚 brings out Indian summer.鈥
鈥淚ndian Summer鈥 is not the best terminology, given the history of the term 鈥淚ndian鈥 in North America. The weather phenomenon is best described using the term that Europeans and British still use: St. Martin鈥檚 Summer. This references St. Martin鈥檚 Day鈥擭ovember 11鈥攖he official start of these unusually late warm spells. Another popular term used by the American Meteorological Society is 鈥淪econd Summer,鈥 which is indeed appropriately descriptive.
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In England, Shakespeare used the expression 鈥淎ll Halloween Summer.鈥 Other old terms include the unfortunate 鈥淥ld Wives鈥 Summer鈥 and, poetically,&苍产蝉辫;鈥淗补濒肠测辞苍&苍产蝉辫;顿补测蝉.鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;
Definition of Indian Summer, Second Summer
Here are several criteria for this weather phenomenon, according to The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人:
- It鈥檚 a period of abnormally warm weather occurring in late autumn between St. Martin鈥檚 Day (November 11) and November 20, with generally clear skies, sunny but hazy days, and cool nights.
- The timing is important: It occurs after at least one killing frost but also before the first snowfall; preferably a substantial period of normally cool weather must precede this warm spell.
- As well as being warm, the atmosphere is hazy or smoky, there is no wind, the barometer is standing high, and the nights are clear and chilly.
- A moving, cool, shallow, polar air mass is converting into a deep, warm, stagnant anticyclone (high pressure) system, which has the effect of causing haze and a large swing in temperature between day and night.
Given above criteria, this weather phenomenon does not occur every year and it occurs more than once some years. We rather enjoy this description written by Sandy Griswold for the in November 1922:
I am enabled to say, however, that the characteristics of the season, when it appears in all its glory, are a mild and genial temperature, gentle southwestern breezes, unusual brightness of the sun, extreme brilliancy of the moon, a clear, blue sky; sometimes half hidden by a veil of gray haze; daybreaks redder than the splotch on the blackbird鈥檚 wing, and sunsets laden with golden fleeces, the wooded valleys aglow with the fires of richly tinted leaves, still clinging to the listless limbs, or lying where they have fallen鈥.
What is the Origin of Indian Summer?
So, where did this term come from? The origin is not certain, but dates back as far back as 1778 in Letters From an American Farmer by the French-American soldier-turned鈥揻armer Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Cr猫vecoeur:
鈥淭hen a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer.鈥
There are many theories. Here are a few of the more plausible ones:
- Some say it comes from the Narragansett people located in what is now the northeastern United States, who believed that the condition was caused by a warm wind sent from the court of their southwestern god, Cautantowwit (鈥済谤别补迟&苍产蝉辫;蝉辫颈谤颈迟鈥).
- Another theory is that Native Americans would routinely use this brief period of warm fall weather as an opportunity to increase winter stores. November is the time to get one鈥檚 last harvest in before winter truly shows its head, so a short period of warm weather would be of note around this time.
- A third theory suggests that early American settlers mistook the sight of sun rays through the hazy autumn air for Native American campfires, resulting in the name 鈥淚ndian summer.鈥
Indian Pudding Recipe
Celebrate November with a delicious, cozy pudding made with native corn! Indian Pudding is a warm baked custard that uses cornmeal, milk, molasses, and cinnamon. The origin of Indian Pudding dates back to the 1700s; it was said to be a favorite dish of Founding Father John Adams! It鈥檚 essentially a version of British Hasty Pudding (which was made by boiling wheat flour in water or milk until it thickened into a pudding), but in the New World, the Native Americans made it with cornmeal, which early settlers referred to as 鈥淚ndian flour.鈥
Are you experiencing a warm spell in November? Let us know in the comments below.
Catherine Boeckmann
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We live 40 miles west of Washington, DC. We have had two days of beautiful Indian Summer weather and today looks to be another. We had a two week cold spell preceding this beautiful weather, very cold nights (20s and 30s) for this area this early in the season. Days were in the low 40s.
In our neck of the woods, we are experiencing an Indian Summer. We鈥檝e had 3 frosts, the hardest frost on Saturday Nov.6th. Overnight temps in the mid 30掳鈥檚. Daytime temps in the high 60掳鈥檚. It鈥檚 absolutely gorgeous. We鈥檝e even had a picnic on our large property. Once again affirming that Autumn is My Favorite Season. Thank you for this wonderful article. Keep up the good work Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 Crew. I look forward to your daily emails.
I really enjoy waking to learning more about nature and its effect of us humans and "how things came to be named." I like that you include how many of our expressions are rooted in indigenous and/or early settler language. I especially like that you try to name the specific tribe as it reminds me of the the reality of "500 Nations" (Ken Burns documentary).
However, I wonder if this explanation could be edited with more awareness about the give/take relationship. In my opinion, the line that when Indians "would decide to have one more go at the settlers" is off the mark as "one more go" makes it sound like the only aggressors were local indigenous people and that it was almost sport for them. Instead, perhaps the FA editors could rephrase as it is important to acknowledge that Indian military strategy came down to survival, not sport. Thank you for considering this suggestion.
New England explanation, at the first frost the Indians went back to their villages, then the warmer weather came (Indian Summer) and the Indians left their villages to harass the colonists.
After reading your great article, I believe we have been experiencing Indian Summer here in central New York State even tho it is several days before St. Martin's Day. We have had all the weather conditions described and my hubby & I have spent the days getting our yard, vegetable & flower gardens, our fruit beds of rhubarb, raspberries & blueberries ready for winter. And loving following the night sky. Thanks so much for all your informative articles/ recipes. Look forward to your daily newsletter.
i think Indian Summer is named because the Indians used the warm days to collect native plants repair tipis; etc.; another poster wrote; The Paiute Tribe that roamed this area found this time to be perfect for collecting pinenuts as the freezing helped loosen the nuts from the pinecones thus easier to gather for the winter."
Love this weather of today and for the past week or so. Here in the Appleton/Oshkosh area of Wisconsin, days are 70-75 and nights 55. Previous to this we鈥檝e had killing temps (killed off all flowers and tender plants) of 37-31 over night with days maybe hitting 50鈥檚 in October.
I remember years ago, Indian Summer was always the 2nd week of October. I know this because it was my birthday week; 10th. Yet other times we had to wear snow suits under our Halloween costume.
I am sitting on my deck in Upper Marlboro MD enjoying what I鈥檇 like to call a beautiful Indian Summer day...but upon reading the criteria, I realize I shouldn鈥檛 be using that oh-so-descriptive term of my youth. I鈥檓 73 yrs old and have used this term all my life to describe an unusually warm, quiet, cloudless, day with many of the brilliant leaves still on the trees (that is a 鈥渕ust鈥 for my personal use of the term)! Today 11/8/20, is not hazy and we鈥檝e not had a first frost, so I guess it doesn鈥檛 qualify as a true Indian Summer day. I only know I鈥檇 really like for this perfect Autumn day to linger, stay on and on. But alas, I know that won鈥檛 happen!
Thank you for the definition, the photos, and the Indian Pudding recipe. I adore Indian Pudding and had almost forgotten about it completely til now! Yea! I will compare my 鈥渆arly American鈥 recipe with yours (which sounds like the one I have) and make some pronto! I am a native 鈥渏ersey girl鈥 and acquired a set of early American receipts-as they called them, from Smithville Village in southern NJ, over 50 years ago.
We are having a beautiful Indian summer in eastern Kentucky, days warm and hazy, nights cold and clear,always look forward to it,usually the first two weeks of November, days,in the 70s, nights, average 50s, absolutely outstanding!
We seem to be in a perpetual Indian summer, although it does not necessarily sync up with your dates. Today it is 75+ but just last week in was in the 50's during the day. It is much warmer this year so far than last year, but always with the ups and downs. You say we will have a dry winter this year which I am looking forward to. After being drowned in the last few winters although there was very little snow, we are looking forward to a less than soggy winter. I hope you are right!
