Kufamba kweGore · The Shona Calendar & Seasons
Months & Seasons (Mwedzi neMwaka)
In traditional ChiShona culture, the calendar follows the moon, the winds, bird calls, and the rhythm of the soil. Explore the meaning behind all 12 Shona months and the four distinctive seasons of Zimbabwe with spoken audio.
📅 12 Shona Months (Mwedzi)
🌦️ 4 Traditional Seasons (Mwaka)
🐐 The Sacred Taboo of Mbudzi
🎉 Thanksgiving of Zvita
🔊 Spoken Audio on Tap
Mwaka Mina yeGore · Four Seasons of Zimbabwe
Mamiriro ekunze Gore Rose
Zhizha
Summer / Rainy Season
Mwaka wemvura zhinji, mabhanhire emakore, kurima nekusakura muminda, zvirimwa zvakasvibira, nekuvapo kwezvikafu zvitsva.
The season of heavy rains, lush green landscapes, intense weeding in the fields, and the first fresh garden crops.
Masutso
Autumn / Post-Harvest Season
Mvura inoderera, zvirimwa zvinoibva, vanhu vanokohwa chibage, manhanga, nzungu, nenyimo. Mazuva anotonhorera.
Rains taper off, crops reach full maturity, and the harvest of maize, pumpkins, groundnuts, and roundnuts begins in earnest.
Chando
Winter / Cold Dry Season
Mwaka unotonhora zvikuru, kuseni kune chando cherukungwe, husiku vanhu vanodzidziya moto vachitaura ngano, kupura zviyo.
The coldest time of the year with morning frost, pleasant sunny afternoons, grain threshing on rock platforms, and cozy evening fireside tales.
Chirimo
Spring / Hot Dry Season
Mhepo huru dzinovhuvhuta, miti inotunga mashizha matsvuku, kupisa kukuru kwezuva, kugadzirira minda nemapadza.
Dry gusty winds, msasa trees blooming with striking red and amber spring foliage, soaring heat, and preparing land before the first rains.
Mwedzi Gumi neMiviri · The 12 Months
Kutevedzana kweMwedzi
Ndira
January
🗣️ NDEE-rah
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Richibva kumhungu yechipembenene chendira, nehohwa hunonaka hunonzi hohwa hweNdira hunomera panguva iyi.
Named after the iridescent Ndira beetles and delicious Ndira wild mushrooms that sprout during peak summer rains.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Kusakura masora muminda nechibage chichikura; mvura inonaya zvikuru.
Weeding maize fields diligently; peak summer storms and abundant growth.
Mwedzi 1
Kukadzi
February
🗣️ koo-KAH-dzee
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Richibva pakuti mukadzi / vakadzi; mvura inopfavira ichinyorovera sedudziro yerudo rwaamai.
Derived from "mukadzi" (woman/mother); represents the gentle, nurturing phase of rain sustaining young crops.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Chibage chinotanga kubereka masese, vanhu vachidya nzungu nemuriwo mutsva.
Maize begins tasseling; families enjoy fresh leafy greens, sweet pumpkins, and early beans.
Mwedzi 2
Kurume
March
🗣️ koo-ROO-meh
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Richibva pakuti murume / varume; nguva inoda simba revarume kuchengetedza zvirimwa.
Derived from "murume" (man); signifies the masculine guardian task of defending ripening fields.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Varume nevakomana vanovaka matara ekurinda tsoko, makudo neshiri kuti zvisadye mbesa.
Men and boys build watch platforms to guard sweet crops against baboons, monkeys, and wild birds.
Mwedzi 3
Kubvumbi
April
🗣️ koo-BVOO-mbee
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Kubva pamashoko ekuti mubvumbi kana kubvumba (kunaya kwemvura yakapfava isina mabhanhire).
Derived from "bvumbi" (soft, persistent drizzle), marking the peaceful farewell showers of the rainy season.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Mvura inotanga kuderera; vanhu vanotanga kutanha chibage chinyoro nekuchera nzungu.
Rains taper off; early harvest of sweet maize and digging fresh groundnuts.
Mwedzi 4
Chivabvu
May
🗣️ chee-VAH-bvoo
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Kureva zvirimwa zvapera kubva muminda, zvichipa chivabvu chemhandire yakagochwa.
From the last green maize cobs harvested and roasted as crunchy mhandire before stalks dry completely.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Kukohwa chibage chose nekuchipinza mumatare; usiku hunotanga kupindwa nechando.
Full harvesting of maize and crops; storing grain in barns as evening chill creeps in.
Mwedzi 5
Chikumi
June
🗣️ chee-KOO-mee
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Zvinoreva kupatsanurwa kwegore nepakati, nguva yezigumi remwedzi mukati mechando.
Signifies the mid-year solstice milestone, arriving right in the heart of winter.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Chando chinoruma zvikuru; vanhu vanoenda kumatanda kunotsvaga huni dzekudziya.
Crisp cold mornings and freezing nights; families gather plentiful firewood for the hearth.
Mwedzi 6
Chikunguru
July
🗣️ chee-koo-NGOH-roo
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Kubva pakuti mhepo inokungurutsa mashanga nemashizha emuminda; michero yenhunguru inoibva.
From "chikungurutsa janga" (cold winds rolling dry maize stalks across harvested fields); wild nhunguru berries ripen.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Kupura zviyo (rukweza, mhunga, mapfunde) paruware; kuimba nziyo dzepanhimbe.
Threshing millet and sorghum on smooth granite rock platforms; singing rhythmic work songs.
Mwedzi 7
Nyamavhuvhu
August
🗣️ nyah-mah-VHOO-vhoo
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Kubva pakuvhuvhuta kwemhepo huru dzinovhuvhuta mumatunhu ose dzichisimudza guruva.
From "kuvhuvhuta" (the roaring gusty winds); famously the windiest month across Zimbabwe.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Kupepeta masese nezviyo nemhepo; vana vanobhururutsa zvinyamupupu (kites).
Winnowing harvested grain using the strong winds; children fly homemade kites across open fields.
Mwedzi 8
Gunyana
September
🗣️ goo-NYAH-nah
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Nguva inoonekwa vana vadiki veshiri vachichema vachidana vabereki mumatendere.
A gentle period when newly hatched songbirds chirp from their nests in the returning spring warmth.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Miti inotanga kutunga maruva nemashizha matsvuku; vanhu vanotanga kupfura zvishandiso.
Msasa woodlands explode in dazzling shades of scarlet and amber; blacksmiths forge garden hoes.
Mwedzi 9
Gumiguru
October
🗣️ goo-mee-GOO-roo
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Mwedzi wegumi mukuru (gumi guru); unozivikanwa nokupisa kwakanyanya kwezuva.
The "Big Tenth Month" (gumi guru); historically the hottest and driest month of the year.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Kutema nokupisa makwenzi muminda; kugadzirira mvura yokutanga yemumvumbi.
Clearing land and burning brush; repairing roofs and eagerly scanning horizons for thunderclouds.
Mwedzi 10
Mbudzi
November
🗣️ MBOO-dzee
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Mwedzi unoyera wechisi apo mhuka dzesango nedzekumba dzinobereka vana vatsva.
The sacred month of nature's renewal when livestock and wildlife give birth to young.
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Mwedzi weChisi: Hapana kuroora, mabiko, kana mitambo mikuru inobvumidzwa; vanhu vanongorima chete.
Sacred month: strictly no weddings or noisy rituals permitted; all focus goes into planting the first seed.
Mwedzi 11
Zvita
December
🗣️ ZVEE-tah
📖 Tsananguro yeZita (Origin & Meaning):
Kubva pakuti "Mazvita" (kutenda vadzimu naMwari nekutipa mvura nekuponesa vanhu mugore).
From "Mazvita" (grateful thanks to God and ancestors for delivering rain and preserving life through the year).
🌾 Zvinoitwa Muminda (Seasonal Activities):
Chisi chinopera; michato, mabiko ekupembera, nemitambo zvinotanga patsva nemufaro mukuru.
Taboos lifted; joy erupts with wedding celebrations, homecomings, and feast gatherings across the nation.
Mwedzi 12