Why do English people say Spring starts on the 1st of March?

Teaforlife

Here in Ireland, Spring tradionally begins on the 1st of February.

Harry Palmr

Meteorological seasons start in March, June, Sept and December. The English don't do folk-memory stuff like the Irish.

Oink

According to some people some seasons last longer than others... :rolleyes:

EDIT: Suddenly wondering am I making a fool of myself. People in in the North Pole might beg to differ. Huh.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I never agreed with this thing in Ireland that Winter was Nov Dec Jan and spring was Feb Mar Apr. Summer is certainly not May Jun Jul in my book. Nature doesn't seem to follow that grouping either.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

BTW: Met Eireann also refer to March 1st as the start of Spring.

In Irish September is Meán Fómhair meaning Mid Autumn and October is Deireadh Fómhair for End of Autumn, but I never got why that was so.

Teaforlife

Briggs Plump Screwdriver wrote: »

BTW: Met Eireann also refer to March 1st as the start of Spring.

In Irish September is Meán Fómhair meaning Mid Autumn and October is Deireadh Fómhair for End of Autumn, but I never got why that was so.

And don't forget Oíche Shamhna! (Halloween)

conditioned games

In ireland we say spring starts march 1st. February january december have always been the winter months.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

conditioned games wrote: »

In ireland we say spring starts march 1st. February january december have always been the winter months.

Irish primary schools still have teach Nov Dec Jan as Winter.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Teaforlife wrote: »

And don't forget Oíche Shamhna! (Halloween)

Sorry, I don't get the relevance toy the seasons.

Misty Moon

I thought they did the same in England as in Ireland. I only found out some countries assigned months to the seasons differently when I taught English briefly in Germany and the students insisted there was a mistake in the book. Most Germans still think I'm taking the piss when I tell them in Ireland spring starts in February.

magicbastarder

irish spring starts 1st feb.
english spring starts 1st march.
meteorlogical spring starts 1st march.
astronomical spring starts on the spring equinox.

recedite

1st Feb is St. Brigids Day, which itself is superimposed on an ancient Celtic festival called Imbolc.
There were at least three others, but the mistake is to think that they correlate to the 4 seasons, because they don't, they were feast days.
Bealtaine is equivalent to Mayday; that time in early summer when flowers are everywhere.
Lughnasa is equivalent to the harvest festival, so when you think about it, it should start in August for the first fruits, which would explain September being Mean fomhair or "middle of harvest".
When its all over and everything has died off, that is Samhain, the start of the dormant season.
They don't generally talk about a mid-winter festival, but I would be surprised if there wasn't a pre-christian one at the winter solstice, replaced by Christmas. They had "yule" on the continent, and we have Newgrange here as the calendar, even though that is actually a pre-celtic building, the solstice was always an important time to mark.

What is often taught in Irish schools re the seasons is a bit of a mish-mash of various things.

Senna

I was alway told in school that February was the start of Spring. Regardless of what's taught, common sense says spring starts on the first of March.

syklops

Coz it rhymes?
Kind of.

syklops

Senna wrote: »

I was alway told in school that February was the start of Spring. Regardless of what's taught, common sense says spring starts on the first of March.

I'm sure there are things you learnt in school you have since learnt first hand to be bullsh!t.

My favourite lesson from school:

Teacher: Wheres your nature homework?
Me: Well we last did nature about 8 weeks ago, I thought you would give us a days warning for when you wanted it and not request it on a whim, and so, it is at home".
Teacher:"You know what thought did? Thought stuck a feather in the ground and thought a chicken would grow"
Me: "So you are not encouraging independent thought then".

robp

I always understood Spring to being in February. It has agricultural significance for lambing. Irish winters are so mild what might be true elsewhere in Europe may not hold here.

recedite wrote: »

They don't generally talk about a mid-winter festival, but I would be surprised if there wasn't a pre-christian one at the winter solstice, replaced by Christmas. They had "yule" on the continent, and we have Newgrange here as the calendar, even though that is actually a pre-celtic building, the solstice was always an important time to mark.

I got into a debate about this elsewhere on Boards.ie, see the link. I think people often presume the Solstice was celebrated by Iron Age Irish people (Celts) but the evidence is pretty poor and if it was celebrated it probably was not the main festival.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=93225764&postcount=102

recedite

Well the remnants of some ancient summer solstice festival are still held every year in most places west of the Shannon; variously called "bonfire night" "summer christmas" and "St Johns Eve". So much so, that I avoid the west at that time of year, due to the crowds of teenagers staying up all night drinking.
So it seems unlikely that people would have originally celebrated the mid-summer version without also having the mid-winter festival.

Connacht

Given Ireland's location and weather patterns, I've always considered us to have a 4 mth winter, 3 mth spring, 3 mth summer and just Sept and Oct making up a 2 mth autumn ...

robp

recedite wrote: »

Well the remnants of some ancient summer solstice festival are still held every year in most places west of the Shannon; variously called "bonfire night" "summer christmas" and "St Johns Eve". So much so, that I avoid the west at that time of year, due to the crowds of teenagers staying up all night drinking.
So it seems unlikely that people would have originally celebrated the mid-summer version without also having the mid-winter festival.

How do we know this event is an ancient remnant? St John's Eve is celebrated all over Europe and often with bonfires.

Deranged96

Yup it has to do with the ancient festivals. All our seasons begin with an oul pagan throw down... Isn't that lovely though? Nice and rustic and obscure. Someone said though that they're trying to bring us into line with Europe (and the Weather)? I won't stand for It.

Carawaystick

Deire Fomhar is the end of autumn.
it works back from there.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Carawaystick wrote: »

Deire Fomhar is the end of autumn.
it works back from there.

See post #5. That is the point. The naming as gealge is incorrect and the point of the thread in so many ways.