Start and end of the seasons

Some musings originally posted on the RetroMat site in October last year

As we approach Halloween, I am reminded again of the wisdom of the ancients here-abouts who deemed this time of year as being (approximately) when Autumn ends and Winter starts.

Considering the hours of daylight, it makes so much more sense to have Winter starting at this mid-point (more accurately in early November, closer to Bonfire Night* here in the UK) between the Autumn equinox and Winter solstice, rather than as we do now, at the Winter solstice itself, especially as the latter is also known as Midwinter's Day.

(*Celebrating the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, but no doubt replacing an earlier seasonal festival).

Similarly, for Summer, which should begin in early May, rather than at the Summer solstice, also known as Midsummer's Day. By the same logic Spring should start in early February, at the mid-point between the Winter solstice and Spring equinox and Autumn should begin in early August, at the mid-point between the Summer solstice and Autumn equinox. This would still mean four seasons of around 13 weeks' duration each, but they would now be centred on the solstices and the equinoxes.

Not surprisingly, these dates were regarded as being important enough to be given names. Also, not surprisingly, the Christian Church would have attempted to assert itself by replacing these pagan (for want of a better word) festivals with Christian ones, so we have:

• end of Winter/start of Spring: Gaelic: Imbolc, Welsh: Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau (Mary's Festival of the Candles), equivalent to the English Candlemas, a Christian feast day, presumably replacing an earlier one
• end of Spring/start of Summer: Gaelic: Beltane, Welsh: Calan Mai (first day of May),  English May Day, German: Walpurgisnacht
• end of Summer/start of Autumn: Gaelic: Lughnasadh, Welsh: Calan Awst (first day of August), English: Lammas or Loaf Mass Day, again a Christian feast day, presumably replacing an earlier one
• end of Autumn/start of Winter: Gaelic: Samhain, Welsh: Calan Gaeaf (first day of Winter), English: Halloween for All Hallows Eve in the Christian calendar.

Interestingly, in Welsh, the month of June is Mehefin, mid Summer, and July is Gorffennaf, end of Summer. October is Hydref, the same as the Welsh word for Autumn, although for consistency we might have expected it to be the equivalent of end of Autumn instead.

Here are all the months of the year in Welsh, their equivalents in English and meanings where applicable (sources: here and here):

        Welsh         English Meaning

1. Ionawr                 January -
2. Chwefror                 February -
3. Mawrth                 March -
4. Ebrill         April                -
5. Mai                 May -
6. Mehefin                 June                Mid Summer
7. Gorffennaf                 July End of Summer
8. Awst         August -
9. Medi         September Harvest
10. Hydref                 October Autumn
11. Tachwedd         November Slaughter (of animals for Winter)
12. Rhagfyr                 December Fore-shortening (of days)

I think it's interesting to note that the names of months 1 to 5 and 8 are the equivalents of the names in the usual/standard Western calendar, while the others are either descriptive of the time of year or describe an activity associated with that month. I wonder whether an old name for May could have been the equivalent of Start  of Summer?