NordicSomali
VIP
4=10 and 5=11
Why do Somalis say the clock so weirdly?
- Thread starter NordicSomali
- Start date
iskufilann
inactive.
I just about understand it
I just say it in English to avoid confusion
I just say it in English to avoid confusion
Yep. You just have to subtract 6, if it reads 10 am itβs 4 saac subaxnimo, and 13 pm becomes 7 saac duhurnimo
The time of the day in Somalia starts at 7am which is 1 saac subaxnimo (first hour after sunrise) and ends at 6pm which is 12 saac, 7 pm marks the start of the night which makes it 1 saac habeenimo. (First hour after sunset)
Whoever invented this madness, waa inkaaray!
A Mean Guy
Minister of Ajanabi Affairs
It is not just in Somalia that people read the time weird but also Uganda, Kenyan, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. This phenomena is highly prominent in the Whole of East Africa. They believe that the day starts in the morning (7am = 1) and not midnight hence why we still call 3am, habeen.
To read the time like this, just say the number that is directly opposite of the current time. For example:
7 becomes 1
8 becomes 2
10 becomes 4
12 becomes 6
To read the time like this, just say the number that is directly opposite of the current time. For example:
7 becomes 1
8 becomes 2
10 becomes 4
12 becomes 6
Because the day starts when the sun rises and ends when it sets so just 12 hours
It is actually an Italian system, and common in its colonies incl. Southern Somalia, where a 24-hour system is being used instead of the 12-hour, a common practice in the English speaking world. For example, where in the UK, one would say, 07:00 am, in Italy, or Xamar, one would say, it is 01:00 o'clock at daybreak. In the said system, a.m or p.m is not being used, and the day is broken into 4 segments: morning, afternoon, evening, and night.
I learnt about that when I first met an Eritrean friend's parents, who would tell the time in that form, and later when I visited Rome, and Xamar.
It was also a question on the Mystery Hour on LBC, for those of you in the UK.
I learnt about that when I first met an Eritrean friend's parents, who would tell the time in that form, and later when I visited Rome, and Xamar.
It was also a question on the Mystery Hour on LBC, for those of you in the UK.
Odious Delirium
VIP
So why do Ugandans/tanzanians/Kenyans also tell the time that way?
Do they? I have no idea.
Garaad diinle
ξξξ’ξξ ξ ξξ‘ξξ
Somalia is located on the equator which means that the length of the day and night is almost equal all year round meaning equal hours of day and night. The day in somali culture but also east africa as whole start at sun rise hence 7 am when the sun rise is 1 o'clock. You go up to 12 o'clock and start over. The day is divided into day and night and instead of a numerical value to every hour somalis gave a descriptive name for every hour. It's not only east africa but also other culture starts the hour at sunrise.
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Odious Delirium
VIP
That's what guycalledAmin said I have no idea myself
