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Old 06-10-2012, 08:50 PM
 
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
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What I mean is:

If you live in the NH, do you like the way the year is organized as it is (Christmas in winter, the school year split between two years)? What do you think of having the seasons reversed?

If you live in the SH, do you like having Christmas in summer and the school year fitting solidly in one calendar year?

I know this question may sound silly, and I know that many cultures around the world keep track of seasons in different ways (using different calendars and the like), but I'm interested in the Western world or the places where our Gregorian calendar is used the way we use it.

The thing is, I have always had the impression that the Gregorian calendar fits better with the SH, even though it originated in the NH.

For example, as a kid, one of the first experiences you have with the significance of the calendar is when you start school. And it always seemed odd to me that in the NH the school year (and college, university, etc) is split into two halves (one half in a different year). This extends to other areas.

The way I see it, the Gregorian calendar fits better with the SH seasons. What do you think?

BTW, I like having Christmas and New Years' Eve in summer (even though I dislike the heat), because it marks the beginning of everything (new year in every sense).
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Old 06-10-2012, 09:07 PM
 
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me. If I had kids in school or was otherwise tied to the calender year, perhaps, but as is my vacation times are pretty flexible, it doesn't affect me very much.

Also, it depends on the climate and my expenses. If I can't afford to travel, summer vacation is best; if I can, winter vacation is best. ( Still better: any climate I rate B or higher! Then all free time is a vacation. )
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Old 06-10-2012, 09:12 PM
 
Location: New Jersey
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Well since I've lived in the NH my whole life, I can't imagine celebrating Christmas or New Years when it's warm out. I do think the school schedule in the US is outdated though (K-12, not college).
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Old 06-11-2012, 05:33 AM
 
Location: Laurentia
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I think it's strange to not have a school year split like that. I'm used to the NH ways and I am quite attached to them . As for how the calendar year is arranged, the Northern Hemisphere is far superior, especially come Christmas and New Year's. Not only is it simply better to have Christmas in winter when it's dark and snowy, it also fits the historical tradition. Aside from the birth of Jesus, it's also a winter solstice celebration that originated in Northern Europe, hence the association with snow.

We also have our summer holidays and other holidays that may be better arranged, but vary so much from country to country they can't be compared. I also much prefer the seasonal arrangement of the North, winter in DJF and summer in JJA, though I attribute that to just growing up with it. Still, there's no reason to change that preference. As for the New Year, it can fit just as well near the Winter Solstice as it can in the Summer Solstice, seeing as Winter can also be seen as a time of new beginning, more so even than summer, historically speaking.
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Old 06-11-2012, 07:56 AM
 
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I'm in the SH and I like it. The main benefits are having seasons (school, TV, some sports) all fitting nicely within the one year.


2007-2008, 2008-2009 is messy. I prefer 2007, 2008, and so on.
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:07 AM
 
Location: Leeds, UK
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But summer in the southern hemisphere is December, January and February.. so that would be summer 2011-2012.. no?

Considering I've never even been to the southern hemisphere, I prefer it up here. Not surprising is it?
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Old 06-11-2012, 08:29 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dunno what to put here View Post
But summer in the southern hemisphere is December, January and February.. so that would be summer 2011-2012.. no?
It would but, here in Australia at least, no one recalls summer as a season.

If something happened on December 20, 2011 it would be remembered as a thing that happened in 2011, not the summer of 2011-2012.

Many of the summer events like the Australian Open and the most severe part of the bushfire season don't start until January anyway.
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Old 06-11-2012, 09:51 AM
 
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Patricius Maximus View Post
I think it's strange to not have a school year split like that. I'm used to the NH ways and I am quite attached to them . As for how the calendar year is arranged, the Northern Hemisphere is far superior, especially come Christmas and New Year's. Not only is it simply better to have Christmas in winter when it's dark and snowy, it also fits the historical tradition. Aside from the birth of Jesus, it's also a winter solstice celebration that originated in Northern Europe, hence the association with snow.
Well, given that I grew up with Christmas in summer, I just feel that Christmas is 'summery' or 'summer-like', and this is especially true when you're a kid. Christmas marks the true end of the school year (I mean children usually finish classes in late Nov/early Dec here, but Christmas marks the beginning of summer holidays - which may make it seem a bit more frivolous now that I think of it). Besides, the bulk of the 'working year' in the SH is centered in the middle of the year, which for me makes more sense.

Anyway, I understand it's a question of preferences, I only wanted to know what others feel about this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ttad View Post
It would but, here in Australia at least, no one recalls summer as a season.

If something happened on December 20, 2011 it would be remembered as a thing that happened in 2011, not the summer of 2011-2012.

Many of the summer events like the Australian Open and the most severe part of the bushfire season don't start until January anyway.
Here in Argentina we usually use the summer as a time reference, but, as for us the summer begins on Dec 21th, our summer fits almost completely in the beginning of the year. Most of the time, when we say 'the summer of 2012', we understand the first three months of 2012. Otherwise we'd say 'the summer of 2011/2012' or 'the end of 2011' or somtehing of the sort.

BTW, and related to this, TV shows, movies, books, novels, etc. use 'seasonal time references' a lot. They say 'in the summer of 1990', 'in the spring of...', and so on. Usually they are meant for a NH audience, or it is clearly understood because the setting is in the NH. But sometimes the show, movie, book, etc. is addressed to a universal audience (ie. scientific essays, historical books, etc), and they still keep those references. I've even read books by NH authors about SH events that still keep NH seasonal references! For example, the British invasions of Buenos Aires in 1806 and 1807 happened in June in both cases, and the author I was reading said 'in the summer of 1806' the British reached Buenos Aires. It's a bit weird.

I know it's not quite important and it doesn't get in the way of understanding, but still it shows a bit of NH-centrism.
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Old 06-11-2012, 10:26 AM
 
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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Can't really imagine summer holidays in the middle of the year, I also liked the fact that each year/grade of school coincided with a different calendar year with the feeling that each year was a new starting point.

I guess many of us in the SH put a greater emphasis on calendar years as opposed to seasons due to school/work holidays coinciding with the end of the year. The SH year setup is a more of a 'neat' fit imo with Christmas/New Year fitting in with the end of the school year, not that it matters too much either way though.
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Old 06-11-2012, 10:28 AM
 
Location: Laurentia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sanfel View Post
I've even read books by NH authors about SH events that still keep NH seasonal references! For example, the British invasions of Buenos Aires in 1806 and 1807 happened in June in both cases, and the author I was reading said 'in the summer of 1806' the British reached Buenos Aires. It's a bit weird.

I know it's not quite important and it doesn't get in the way of understanding, but still it shows a bit of NH-centrism.
I can imagine the situation being reversed, with SH authors writing about an invasion of a NH country and using SH seasonal references. That would be pretty weird, but I don't think I'd mind a bias towards either hemisphere.

It's probably due to the fact that only 10% of people live in the Southern Hemisphere and the near-seasonless nature of most S.H. climates that contributes to S.H. seasons being brushed aside. If there was a lot of land in the Southern Hemisphere like there is in the North I'm sure there would be much less bias.
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