Start of Summer

Updated 1 May 26

The Spring equinox this year was on the 20th of March. With the Summer solstice on the 21st of June, I estimate the mid-point - and surely the proper start of Summer -  will be about the 5th of May. However, the first of May seems a good enough time to celebrate it.

Traditionally, May Day is associated with fertility, so we have the symbolism of the May Pole and the May Queen in many European countries. In Beltane, there is a tradition of lighting bonfires, no doubt to symbolically to drive away the dark and the evil spirits (rather than to defiantly face them as done at Halloween).

In Germany (and elsewhere in Europe), the celebration has been co-opted by the Church, to celebrate Saint Walpurga, an Anglo-Saxon nun tasked with converting the Germanic tribes in the eighth century. There are bonfires the night before (Walpurgisnacht in Germany), indicating a common root with Beltane. Given Walpurga is known for having fought against witchcraft, she was an inspired choice for re-branding the event!

As noted in an earlier post, I've read that having four seasons in the year is a fairly recent innovation and that traditionally there were just Winter and Summer. (Ireland seems to be the exception, but some scholars have said that the first references to Imbolc were by Christian writers, casting doubt on an ancient four seasons tradition). However, if that is so, why celebrate or note the mid-points between solstices and equinoxes?

In addition, it seems there was a Germanic and Nordic custom of Summer starting with May Day and ending with Halloween. Perhaps this was nothing to do with seasonal mid-points, but because of the time it takes for earth and sea to heat up and to cool down again, although that seems to be at odds with the fire festivals, which suggest they were about daylight. Either way, mid-Summer and mid-Winter celebrations would still have been held on the solstices and not early August (Lammsas) and early February (Imbolc).

Perhaps, in the Germanic tradition, Summer and Autumn (albeit the latter un-named) were combined to form one large season with Winter and Spring (also un-named) the other? 

An even better calendar?

Here's a modified version of that new calendar. There are now fewer changes (6),  March and September having the same number of days as they do now:

January	31	30	-1	-1
February	28	29	+1	0
March	31	31	0	0
April	30	31	+1	+1
May	31	31	0	+1
June	30	31	+1	+2
July	31	31	0	+2
August	31	31	0	+2
September	30	30	0	+2
October	31	30	-1	+1
November	30	30	0	+1
December	31	30	-1	0

Let's see what difference this makes to the dates for equinoxes and solstices: 

• first, we'll fix the 2025 Autumn Equinox at Sep 22 (i.e. unchanged)
• the 2025 Winter Solstice is now on Dec 22, one day later than before, as there are now 90, not 91, days in total in the three months of September, October, November
• the 2026 Spring Equinox, almost exactly 89 days later, i.e. 3 full months, is on Mar 22
• the 2026 Summer Solstice, nearly 93 days later, again 3 full months, is on Jun 22
• the 2026 Autumn Equinox, again nearly 93 days later, and again 3 full months, is now on Sep 22.

Wow - all these events, at least for 2025/6, are now on the 22nd of the month, so this mk2 version is even better! I find that quite surprising given the somewhat lopsided look with 2 months with fewer than 31 days at the start of the year and 4 such months at the end.

An improved calendar?

Updated 28 Feb 26

Following my last post, here is one suggestion for a new calendar, having a different number of days for 8 of the months in the year (highlighted). The current number of days per month is in the second column, the proposed number is in the third, the difference is in the fourth and the accumulated difference is in the fifth, which we'd expect to vary over the year, but to be 0 by the end, as indeed it is!

January	31	30	-1	-1
February	28	29	+1	0
March	31	30	-1	-1
April	30	31	+1	0
May	31	31	0	0
June	30	31	+1	+1
July	31	31	0	+1
August	31	31	0	+1
September	30	31	+1	+2
October	31	30	-1	+1
November	30	30	0	+1
December	31	30	-1	0

Let's see what difference this makes to the dates for equinoxes and solstices: 

• first, we'll fix the 2025 Autumn Equinox at Sep 22 (i.e. unchanged)
• the 2025 Winter Solstice is also unchanged on Dec 21, as there are still 91 days in total in the three months of September, October, November
• the 2026 Spring Equinox, almost exactly 89 days later is now on Mar 21, one day later in the calendar than now, as there are now 89 days in the three months December, January and February, as opposed to the actual 90
• the 2026 Summer Solstice, nearly 93 days later is also unchanged on Jun 21, as the number of days in total in March, April and May is still 92
• the 2026 Autumn Equinox, again nearly 93 days later is now on Sep 22, one day earlier in the calendar than now, as the number of days in total in June, July and August is now 93, rather than 92.

So, we can see that with the new equinox dates there would be less variation in these day numbers than before, i.e. on the 21st or 22nd of the month, as opposed to the 20th to 23rd (at least for the years quoted).

If there is a leap year, then we could give the extra day to February, as now, to make it a "proper" month with 30 days, so the number of days in any month would now only ever be 29, 30 or 31.

One final point - why not make December the shortest month, at 29 days and 30 in a leap year? Well, think of the potential for confusion, e.g. do we celebrate New Years Eve on the 29th or is there a 30th this year? January then? Well, it's so close to February, so let's stick with tradition.

The diminution of February

Updated 28 Feb 26

My other half was pondering recently as to why February has so few days compared with the other months and with its immediate neighbours in particular. I responded that the Earth's orbit is not circular and during Winter, the Earth is a little closer to the Sun and moves more quickly, so something has to give at that time of year. Perhaps for some reason, it was decided that January and March were too important to give up any days, but February could take the hit instead and in a big way.

Anyway, I decided to look at the numbers. The dates and times (GMT) of recent and future equinoxes and solstices is as follows, with the last column being the time between the last event and current event (by my reckoning)*.

Autumn Equinox ‘25	22 Sep	18.19	-
Winter Solstice  ‘25	21 Dec	15.03	89 d, 20 h, 44 m
Spring Equinox  ‘26	20 Mar	14.46	88 d, 23 h, 43 m
Summer Solstice ‘26	21 Jun	08.24	92 d, 17 h, 38 m
Autumn Equinox ‘26	23 Sep	00.06	93 d, 15 h, 22 m

Those 'deltas' confirm the point I made and that it would make sense to have longer months in the Summer (by which I mean between the Spring and Autumn equinoxes), of generally 31 days, and shorter ones in Winter (by which I mean between the Autumn and Spring equinoxes), of generally 30 days, suitably adjusted to ensure 365 days per year and 366 in a leap year, of course. It should also mean less variation in the day number of the equinoxes and solstices.

(*Also by my reckoning, totalling those deltas makes about 365 and one quarter days, as we should expect).

Solar Spring

By my reckoning, in the small hours this morning we reached the halfway point between the Winter solstice and the Vernal equinox, so by this measurement it is Springtime. It also seems like Spring today with sunshine and birdsong!

The Gaelic peoples called this time Imbolc, which these days is celebrated on Feb 1st, a little too soon.

Feb 2nd was Groundhog Day, obviously related, in the US and Canada.

Then there's the Christian Candlemas, also celebrated on Feb 2nd, timed no doubt to replace any pagan festivities.

I find it surprising that the old Germanic and Nordic peoples don't seem to have marked or celebrated this time. Could it be perhaps because they only recognised the seasons of Winter and Summer, the latter starting in May?

Start and end of the seasons

Updated 6 Feb 26

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 still means there are four seasons of around 13 weeks' duration each, but they are now centred on the solstices and equinoxes.

In ancient times, these mid-points would have been noted or celebrated. Not surprisingly, the Church would have asserted itself by replacing or attempting to replace these festivals or occasions.

We have:

• end of Winter/start of Spring - Gaelic: Imbolc, Church: Candlemas, Catholic Church (Ireland): Saint Brigid's* Day
• end of Spring/start of Summer -  English: May Day, Welsh: Calan Mai, Gaelic: Beltane, Catholic Church associates the month of May with the Virgin Mary
• end of Summer/start of Autumn - Gaelic: Lughnasadh, Church: Lammas or Loaf Mass Day
• end of Autumn/start of Winter - English: precursor to Bonfire Night/Halloween**, Welsh: Calan Gaeaf (first day of Winter), Gaelic: Samhain, Church: Allhallowtide, comprising All Hallows' Eve, All Hallows' Day/All Saints' Day & All Souls' Day

(* quite distinct of course from the pre-Christian Irish goddess of the same name!

** meaning the 'pagan' celebration rather than the Christian All Hallows' Eve, after which it is named).

Note, in Welsh, the month of June is Mehefin, i.e. mid Summer, and July is Gorffennaf, i.e. end of Summer. The month of May is Mai, whereas we might have expected the equivalent of start of Summer. October is Hydref, the same as the Welsh for Autumn, although for consistency we might have expected it to be the equivalent of end of Autumn instead.