Wasm, the season Kuwait’s old calendar keeps for the first rains, begins tomorrow, Thursday 15 October. That is according to the Al-Ojairi Scientific Centre, in a statement carried by Al-Anba today.
The season lasts 52 days, split into four “stars” (manazil) of 13 days each: Al-Awwa, Al-Simak, Al-Ghafra and Al-Zubana. Counted that way, it runs into the first week of December.
What changes outside
The centre says the opening star, Al-Awwa, brings mild days and cold nights. Days get shorter and nights longer, with later sunrises and earlier sunsets, because the sun keeps sliding south and its rays hit at a lower angle, cutting the hours of daytime heating.
Wasm is also the season linked to rain, which wakes up the desert’s wild plants. Bird migration continues through it.
And the truffles?
Wasm is when desert truffles, known locally as faqaa, tend to appear. The centre ties that to how much rain actually falls, so a dry season means few truffles.
Photo: sun rays and clouds over the desert, December 2023. By Zs.84, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: Al-Ojairi Scientific Centre statement on the start of Wasm, as reported by Al-Anba on 14 October 2026.
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