Until recently, most of us at Shepherd’s Dream thought that the “dog days of summer” referred to those cripplingly hot days in the dead of summer when even the dogs could do nothing but lie in the shade, panting.
Many of us understand the phrase to mean something along those lines. Originally though, the saying didn’t have anything to do with panting canines, or even the lazy days of summer. Rather, “dog days” refers to the star Sirius and its position in the sky.
Sirius, the brightest star in our sky, is a part of the Canis Major constellation. Canis Major is Latin for “greater dog,” and along with Canis Minor (the “lesser dog”), both figures follow the constellation of Orion the Hunter through the sky. The star of Sirius is the dog’s nose, hence the “dog star.”
As the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius has been recorded in many civilizations throughout history. To the Greeks and Romans, the “dog days” occurred around the day when Sirius first reappeared in the sky, in late July. Every year Sirius disappears for 70 days before returning just before sunrise.
The precision of this cycle was extremely important to the ancient Egyptians, who worshipped Sirius as the goddess Sopdet. The return of their goddess represented the guarantor of the fertility of their land.
To the Greeks, the return of the dog star marked a period of potential fever, war or catastrophe.
In present day, however, the rise of the dog star Sirius does not necessarily correspond with the hottest days of summer. Depending on where you live, of course, Sirius will rise at different times.
What’s more, the stars in the night sky do not fit perfectly in our calendar. This means that the dog days of ancient Greece aren’t the dog days of today. It also means that far into the future, this astrological event won’t even happen in summer.
Celebrate Summer with a Sale
In the meantime, we are honoring the traditional 40 Dog Days of Summer by offering 4 different sales starting this Saturday! Choose from the following*:
- Save $500 on orders over $2,000 with this code: DOGDAYS500
- Receive 2 free standard 23 oz Sleep Pillows on orders over $400 with this code: DOGDAYSPILLOWS (please add the pillows to your cart)
- Save $150 on any Mattress Topper with this code: DOGDAYSTOPPERS
- Spend $400 and receive free shipping with this code: DOGDAYSFREESHIP
Choose one sale per order** and place as many orders as you desire.
*all sales exclude packaged deals and only apply to Shepherd’s Dream and Live & Dream products
**only one coupon valid at a time
