Sunshower

This article is about the meteorological phenomenon. For commercial products with the name "Sunshower", see Sunshower (commercial product). For the Thelma Houston album, see Sunshower (album). For the song, see Sunshowers.

A sunset sunshower in the Mojave desert

A sunshower or sun shower is a meteorological phenomenon in which rain falls while the sun is shining.^[1] A sunshower is usually the result of accompanying winds associated with a rain storm sometimes miles away, blowing the airborne raindrops into an area where there are no clouds. Hence, a sunshower. Sometimes a sunshower is created when a single rain cloud passes overhead, and the Sun's angle keeps the sunlight from being obstructed by overhead clouds.

Sunshower conditions often lead to the appearance of a rainbow, if the sun is at a low enough angle.^[1] Although used in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK, the term "sunshower" is rarely found in dictionaries.^[2] Additionally, the phenomenon has a wide range of sometimes remarkably similar folkloric names in cultures around the world.^[3] A common theme is that of clever animals and tricksters getting married or related to the devil, although many variations of this theme are in existence.^[2]^[3]

Folkloric names

A sunshower over Waller creek in Austin, Texas.

In Afrikaans, this phenomenon, i.e. when it rains and the sun shines is referred to as Jakkals trou met wolf se vrou, meaning 'Jackal marries wolf's wife'.^[4]^[5]
In Albania, when it rains and the sun shines, people say that a gypsy wedding is taking place somewhere near.
In Algeria, it is called "عرس الذيب - عرس الذئب - Ar's A'Dib" or " the wolf's wedding"
In Bangladesh: "shial mamar bia hoce" -"Uncle Fox is getting married"
In Brazil, "Casamento da Raposa" (Fox's Wedding) or "Sol e chuva, casamento de viúva", which is a rhyme that means 'Sun and rain, widow's wedding/marriage".
In Bulgaria, there is saying about bear getting married.^[2]
In El Salvador, the traditional belief is that the deer is giving birth.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, the traditional belief is that the hyena is giving birth.
In Finland, it is called "ketut kylpevät" or "foxes are taking bath"
In France, it is called "le mariage du loup" or "the wolf's wedding", or "giboulée"
In Galician, the traditional belief is that the vixen or the fox are getting married: casa a raposa / casa o raposo; sometimes the wolf and the vixen: estanse casando o lobo coa raposa.^[6]
in Greece they say "ήλιος και βροχή, παντρεύονται οι φτωχοί. Ήλιος και φεγγάρι, παντρεύονται οι γαιδαροι." Sun and rain, the poor are getting married. Sun and moon, the donkeys are getting married"
In Hawaii, it is known as "Ghost Rain" or "Liquid Sunshine".
In Italy they say "Piove e c'è il sole, la gatta fa l'amore" which means "It rains with the sun, the (female) cat is making love".
In Japan, it is known as "kitsune no yomeiri", or "the kitsune's wedding", and means a fox's wedding ceremony is being held.
In Kenya, hyenas or monkeys are getting married.
In Korea, a male tiger gets married to a fox.
In Mazandarani language, in north of Iran, it is also called "the jackal’s wedding".
In Morocco, it is the "wolf's wedding". In the north, they say: "Shta Wel Kayla Wel 'Urss Del 'Ayla" which means: "The rain and the sun and the girl's wedding."
In Nepal (Nepali), it is called "the foxes wedding" or "gham-paani, gham-paani shyal ko bihe" which literally translates to "Sunshine-rain, sunshine-rain, the fox is getting married". In fact there's a local song dedicated to Sunshower.
In Pashto, it is also called "Da gidarh wade" or "the jackal's wedding".
In Pakistani Punjab, it is also called "Kani gidh Da waye" or "one eye jackal's wedding".
In Philippines, the traditional belief is that the wedding of a tikbalang is being held.
In Puerto Rico, the traditional belief is that witches are getting married.
In Sinhala, it is called "the foxes wedding" (අව්වයි වැස්සයි, නරියගෙ මගුලයි.).
In South African English, a sunshower is referred to as a "monkey’s wedding", a loan translation of the Zulu umshado wezinkawu, a wedding for monkeys.^[2]
In Sudan, the Donkey and Monkey are getting married.
In various African languages, leopards are getting married.
In Sweden it's called "vitterväder".
In Trinidad and Tobago, it is called "Monkey Marriddin" or monkeys getting married.
In parts of the United Kingdom, it is referred to as "a monkey's birthday".
In Tanzania, they say "Simba anazaa" - literally "the lioness is giving birth."

India

In Bengali, it is called "the blind fox's wedding".
In Gujarati, it is called "naago varsaad", meaning Naked Rain.
In Hindi, it is also called "the ghosts' wedding".^[2]
In Kannada, it is called "Kaage Nari maduve" which means Crow and fox getting married" (ಕಾಗೆ ನರಿ ಮದುವೆ)
In Konkani, it is called "a monkey's wedding".
In Marathi, it is called "Nagda Paaus" literally meaning "Naked Rain".
In Malayalam, it is called the Fox's wedding (കുറുക്കന്റെ കല്യാണം)
In Oriya, it is called "the foxes wedding"(ଖରା ହେଉଛି ମେଘ ହେଉଛି, ଶିଆଳ ପୁଅ ବାହା ହେଉଛି).
In Tamil, it is called the fox and the crow/raven are getting married (காக்காவுக்கும் நரிக்கும் கல்யாணம்).
In Telugu, it is called "Yenda Vanala, kukkala nakkala pelli" which means "Dogs and Foxes getting married in the sunshowers" (ఎండా వానలో కుక్కల, నక్కల పెళ్ళి).

Devils

In the United States, particularly in the Southern United States, and in Hungary as well, a sunshower is said to show that "the devil is beating his wife" (or, more rarely, "the devil is beating his wife with a walking stick") because he is angry God created a beautiful day. The rain is said to be his wife's tears. A regional variant from Tennessee is "the devil is kissing his wife".^[7]^[8] In French, the phrase is "Le diable bat sa femme et marie sa fille"^[9] (i.e., "the devil is beating his wife and marrying his daughter"). In the Netherlands and Belgium, they say that there is a "funfair going on in hell".^[10] In St. Kitts and Nevis, when rain is falling and the sun is shining, it is said that 'D devil a bang he wife'. In Liberia, it is said that "the devil is fighting with his wife over a chicken bone."

Other variations

In Lithuanian and Estonian (vaeslapse pisarad), the phenomenon is described as "orphans' tears", where the sun is the grandmother drying those tears.
In Russian, it is called грибной дождь (gribnoy dozhd'), "mushroom rain", as such conditions are considered favorable to growing mushrooms.^[11] Also, it is called слепой дождь (slepoy dozhd'), "blind rain", because it doesn't see that it shouldn't be raining.^[12]
In Indonesian, the phenomenon is the sign of someone who is rich and well known has died in the place where the sunshower happened, so the sky is showing its condolences.
In Catalonia it is said that the witches are brushing their hair, "les bruixes es pentinen".
In Poland it is said that a witch is making butter, "Słońce świeci, deszczyk pada, baba jaga masło składa".
In the Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico and The Dominican Republic, it is said that a witch is getting married.
In Guyana, it is known as "Sun-Rain ".
In Trinidad and Tobago, "Sun shining, Rain falling, Monkey marrying"
In Haiti, it is said that a zombie is beating his wife for salty food. Devil is sometimes interchanged for zombie.
In Argentina, it is said that an old woman is getting married.
In Croatia, it is said that gypsies are getting married, "Cigani se žene".
In Macedonia, it is also said that gypsies are getting married, "Циганка се мажи", and also that a bear is getting married, "Мечка се жени/мажи".
In the Netherlands, a sunshower is sometimes called "chicken carnival".
In Venezuela, the word 'cachimba' refers to raining while sunny.
In Cuba, Se esta casando la hija del diablo. "The Devil's daughter is getting married"

In popular culture

US soul singer Thelma Houston titled her 1969 debut album "Sunshower".
Half-brothers Stony Browder and Thomas "August Darnell" Browder co-authored a song called "Sunshower", which was included on Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band's 1976 eponymous debut album.
Robert Earl Keen's song "Willie" from the 1984 album No Kinda Dancer includes the lyric "The Devil beats his wife with a silver chain" in reference to a sunshower.

Poster for Akira Kurosawa's 1990 film "Dreams", which features a fox wedding

Akira Kurosawa's 1990 film "Dreams" has a segment about a young boy witnessing a fox wedding (Kitsune no yomeiri) procession during a sunshower.
RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan has a song called "Sunshower" off their 1997 international release of "Wu-Tang Forever."
Chris Cornell's 1999 album Euphoria Morning has a bonus track titled "Sunshower".
English-Sri Lankan musician M.I.A. recorded a single "Sunshowers" in 2004. The song appears on her 2005 debut album Arular.
The title song of the 2010 Korean drama, My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox, a story focusing on a nine-tailed fox (kumiho), is called "Fox Rain".
In the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Have You Ever Seen The Rain? the chorus is "I want to know, have you ever seen the rain. Comin’ down on a sunny day?"

References

1 2 Symonds, Steve (2004). "Weather Terms - Wild Weather". ABC North Coast. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
1 2 3 4 5 Quinion, Michael (2001). "Monkey's Wedding". World Wide Words. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
1 2 Vaux, Bert (1998). "Sunshower summary". linguistlist.org. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
↑ Liebenberg, Helena. "Taalberigte: Agir en die Wolf". Taaloord (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 13 September 2014.
↑ "Afrikaanse idiome met hul verklarings". Mieliestronk (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 13 September 2014.
↑ Ferro Ruibal, Xesús (2007). "Cando chove e dá o sol... ¿Un fraseoloxismo internacional poliédrico?" (PDF). Cadernos de Fraseoloxía Galega (in Galician). Centro Ramón Piñeiro para a Investigación en Humanidades (9): 67–94.
↑ "Sunshower". word-detective.com. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
↑ "Sunshower Devil Thread". Snopes. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
↑ Samson, D. N. (1920). English into French: Five Thousand English Locutions Rendered into Idiomatic French. London: Humphrey Milford at Oxford University Press. p. 102. OCLC 259775152. It rains and shines at the same time : Le diable bat sa femme et marie sa fille
↑ "Kermis in de hel Nederlands spreekwoordenboek". woorden.org (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 September 2014.
↑ "A year of words". Waywordradio.org.
↑ "Слепой дождь". dic.academic.ru (in Russian).

Bibliography

Blust, Robert (1998) The Fox's Wedding. Manuscript, University of Hawaii.
Evgen'jeva, A. P., ed. (1985-) Slovar' russkogo jazyka v 4 tomakh, 3rd edition. Moscow.
Kuusi, Matti (1957) Regen bei Sonnenschein: Zur Weltgeschichte einer Redensart. "Folklore Fellows Communications" n. 171, Helsinki 1957 (it appeared translated into Italian in the journal "Quaderni di Semantica" 13 (1992) and 14 (1993)).
Hoffmann-Krayer, E. (1930–31) Handwörterbuch des deutschen Aberglaubens. Berlin and Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter.

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