Summer is now officially underway (for those in the Southern Hemisphere it is winter). Schools are out and many people will go on vacation during this time. In Europe the height of the tourist season is upon them as the expected hordes will descend. Crowds line up early to get into the famous attractions (best to get one of those passes that allows you to bypass the lines). Personally I prefer to do my traveling in the fall when most of the tourists are gone. And it is a bit cooler as well in many places.
With summer now here, most have packed away the heavy clothes and now wear lighter (and often brighter) clothes. Word to the wise especially in places you are planning to do a lot of walking-consider a good pair over walking shoes over sandals or flip flops. Some places, like the Vatican museum, recommend that. Also some places in Europe have become strict about wearing beach wear off the beach. Read those warning signs and take them seriously.
Wishing everyone a very happy summer!
In Memory of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. Thanks for the great music.
The June Solstice today begins summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Since seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, it begins winter. The June Solstice takes place between June 20-22. It is also the longest day of sunlight in the north (the reverse in the south). To determine the exact time of the Summer Solstice in your area, go to timeanddate.com.
This illustration shows how daylight falls on Earth at the seasonal points. Image: NASA
Summer, the warmest of all seasons and long daylight hours, sees sunrises earlier and sunsets later. Though warm and dry in North America and Europe (except for thunderstorms and hurricanes), Asia gets lots of rain from monsoons. Vacations from school and work are common in summer with sporting and outdoor events for people to attend. In the far north the sun never sets during this time (the opposite in the south where the sun never rises.
Summer field in Belgium (Hamois). The blue flower is cornflower and the red one a corn poppy. Image credit: Luc Viatour (via Wikimedia Commons)
Summer Solstice celebrations are celebrated all over the world with different customs and traditions. Bonfires, festive banners, and special foods are eaten. Some travel to Stonehenge to see the first rays of the sun illuminate it. The first full moon after the June Solstice is often called the Strawberry Moon since the first strawberries of the season are available. Midsummer’s Day is on June 24. Summer means in many places-where winters are long and dark- that the sun has returned. Celebratory bonfires and torches are lit to note the change in towns and in mountain villages.
Father and son on a Sunday afternoon, 1943. Public Domain (U.S. Library of Congress, digital id#fsa 8d19170)
Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in the United States. The movement to recognize fathers began in a West Virginia church in 1908. The sermon that day asked to remember 362 men who had perished in a mine explosion the previous December and many of the men were fathers. In 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington tried to establish an equivalent of Mother’s Day for male parents. She had been raised by a widower and believed the recognition was due. She promoted it so well to local churches, service organizations, and government officials that Washington State celebrated Father’s Day on June 19,1910. The movement to recognize fathers spread slowly but in 1924 President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. Since then most states now recognize the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day but it is not a public holiday (neither is Mother’s Day).
Father’s Day is also celebrated in many countries. In Europe and most Spanish speaking countries it is celebrated on St. Joseph’s Day on March 19. St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers.
Dad & Children Crimson Rose publicdomainpibtures.net
“God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless these men, that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
June calendar from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry From Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry Folio 6, verso: June Between 1412 and 1416, circa 1440 or between 1485 and 1486 Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Welcome to June! June is the 6th month on the Gregorian and Julian calendars and is one of four months with 30 days long. It marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The Summer Solstice takes place between June 20-22 and is the longest day of the year. June comes from the Latin Iunius, possibly named for the goddess Juno, and on the old Roman calendar was the fourth month of the year.
Midsummer is celebrated on either the Summer Solstice or St. John’s Day (24 June) in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Father’s Day is observed globally but with varying dates. The U.S. observes it on the 3rd Sunday in June. Juneteenth, a U.S. federal holiday on June 19, commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation read in Galveston, Texas, freeing enslaved people.
June is popular for weddings and celebrations, a tradition that comes from Roman times when marrying in June was considered lucky. The birthstones are pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone, with rose and honeysuckle as the flowers. Though summer officially begins at the solstice, it is considered to start at the beginning of June for commercial and agricultural purposes
May, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1412-1416) Limbourg brothers (fl. 1402–1416) Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons)
May, the fifth month in the Gregorian and Julian calendars, is named after the Greek goddess Maia. It was the third month in the Roman calendar and has 31 days. The full moon in May, often called the Flower Moon, coincides with blooming flowers.
Bouquet of beautiful red roses Davidjose365, May 2015 Wikimedia Commons
May is associated with spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. As a bridge between spring and summer, it has varying hot and cold days by location. The saying “Warm January, cool May” is sometimes true. In the past, homes were sealed for winter, but in May, windows were opened to let in warm spring air. Spring cleaning remains a tradition to freshen homes after winter. In *The Beverly Hillbillies*, Granny cleaned the mansion thoroughly, placing items outside.
A sure sign spring is here is when lambs appear. Spring Lamb In The Sunshine Photo: Tanya Hall/publicdomainpictures.net
Spring is when plants start growing, and many festivals celebrate this season. Ancient Romans held several in May, and many Europeans still do. Late May often marks the start of summer. May’s symbols are the emerald (birthstone), lily of the valley, and hawthorn (birth flowers).
April, Brevarium Grimani fol. 5v (Flemish) Circa 1510 Venedig, Biblioteca Marciana Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
April is the fourth month on the current Gregorian and Julian calendar. On the old Roman calendar, it was the second month after March since there was no January or February. In the Northern Hemisphere, April is the first month of spring while in the Southern, it is fall. Since the month was seen as a month of sun and and growth, the Romans named the month Aprillis. The name possibly is connected to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, but its origin is unclear. However, the name has stuck and called today April.
With winter over in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a time of joy the days get warmer. The cold days of rain, snow, and frost begin to recede in earnest in most places though the further north you are, it will hold out for a bit longer. April is known for countless festivities to herald this time of year. Of course, April 1 is April Fool’s Day, which is celebrated globally as a day of playing pranks. It is thought that it began as a way to celebrate the end of winter since people would be happy to see it go. So, playing joyful pranks on friends and neighbors would occur. April also is often a time of two major celebrations for Christianity and Judaism: Easter and Passover.
The first full moon in April has both religious and secular meanings. Since Jews use a lunar calendar, Passover occurs in the seventh month and on the 14th day at the full moon. The Western Christian church generally observes Easter after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox in March. Thus, the first Sunday after the Paschal Moon is when Easter Sunday will be observed. Sometimes Easter and Passover will be celebrated at nearly the same time. However sometimes the astronomical date and the ecclesiastical date do not always sync up. At the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, it was decided Easter Sunday would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the Vernal Equinox (usually March 21). It was further decided that Easter Sunday, to accommodate a full moon right after the equinox, would be celebrated between March 22 up to April 25. Sometimes Easter Sunday will occur March since the full moon (sometimes called the Lenten Moon in this case) occurs right after the equinox.
As you might guess, this involves a lot of calculations (called Computus) to get everything properly set up for Lent and Easter Sunday for each liturgical year. Since the Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, it corrects the problems of the older Julian calendar during the solar year. Eastern Orthodox still uses the Julian calendar for its liturgical year, so its observance of Easter can fall a week or several weeks later. Every four years, both calendars align, and both observe Easter Sunday on the same date. Since Easter Sunday also determines public holidays in different countries, the dates for those holidays change each year as well.
Other cultures had different names for the April moon. One is the Pink Moon. This was used in some places in North America. It did not denote the moon was pink but that a certain flower turned pink in April. Breaking Moon was used by Native Americans in Dakota as the return of warmth meant the end of ice. Names were sometimes connected to when certain animals returned from their winter retreats (Moon When Ducks Return etc.)
Of course, there is a lot of folklore around the first moon in April. Here are some favorites:
A full Moon in April brings frost. If the full Moon rises pale, expect rain.
“A cold April the barn will fill.”
(Old Farmer’s Almanac)
Colorful Spring Garden Photo:Anita Martinz(Flickr)
Today the March Equinox takes place ending winter and ushering in spring. To find out the exact time this will occur where you live, please go to www.timeanddate.com.
A sure sign spring is here is when lambs appear. Spring Lamb In The Sunshine Photo: Tanya Hall/publicdomainpictures.net
The March Equinox marks the moment where the Sun crosses the equator (an imaginary line in the sky above the equator) from south to north and usually occurs between March 19-21 every year. Both the March and September equinoxes are when the Sun shines directly on the equator making night and day nearly equal. This equinox is the transition from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere but the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere (summer into fall). Various cultures celebrate March equinox as a time of rebirth. Many spring festivals are timed to coincide with the equinox and some religious events (Passover and Easter) use specific calculations based on the equinox to help determine the exact day of the event.
Meteorologists however start spring on March 1 rather than by the March Equinox. The reason is that they divide the year into four quarters to make it easier to compare data and compile statistics. Meteorological seasons use annual temperature cycles rather than the position of the Sun. While astronomers follow the position of the Sun regarding equinoxes and solstices, meteorologists use the calendar to prevent problems since the dates of equinoxes and solstices can vary each year.
Early spring is when the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the Sun resulting in more daylight for that part world where it spring is occurring. It is a time when the increased warmth results in more plant growth (spring forth as it used to be said and how spring got its name). The resulting warmth also makes snow melt causing streams to swell and frosts to diminish. For areas that get little or no snow, ground temperatures will increase quickly as well. Despite spring beginning in March, in areas where there is no snow early plant growth can begin as early as February (or August down below). Arctic zones may not experience spring until May.
Solstices and Equinoxes Image: NASA
Due to the reversal of seasons in the Southern Hemisphere, Easter is celebrated in Autumn. The Allhallowtide (Halloween, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day) is celebrated in Spring.
Despite the change of the seasons–both calendar and meteorologically speaking–winter does continue in many places. And with it can come unpredictable weather which my favorite feline Garfield illustrates it perfectly. Garfield is outside. First it is warm and sunny. Then cold and rainy. Then back to warm and sunny. And then rain again and then another dry day. Finally, Garfield yells in exasperation “Will you make up your mind?” The next frame is split with one half having rain and the other half sunny. And it is more accurate than most of us want to believe.
There are two sayings that get the season right, courtesy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
Bluebirds are a sign of spring; warm weather and gentle south breezes they bring.
