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First Day of Spring

  • 01-02-2016 10:48AM
    #1
    Costosa
    Site Banned Posts: 1 ✭


    Today is finally the first day of spring, also St Brigid's Day. It's been a long cold and dark winter, thankfully the days are getting longer and not so cold.


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Comments

  • #2
    Duggy747
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,295 ✭✭✭✭Duggy747


    Ah yes, Spring.


  • #3
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Costosa wrote: »
    Today is finally the first day of spring, also St Brigid's Day. It's been a long cold and dark winter, thankfully the days are getting longer and not so cold.

    What country are you living in? It certainly hasnt been a cold winter here in ireland,in fact it has been one of the mildest since records began.


  • #4
    jamesbere
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,022 ✭✭✭jamesbere


    Always felt 1st of March was more the first day of spring in this country, still get wintry weather in February


  • #5
    kneemos
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,068 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    droidman123 wrote: »
    What country are you living in? It certainly hasnt been a cold winter here in ireland,in fact it has been one of the mildest since records began.


    Hasn't been long either.Two months!


  • #6
    Speak Now
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,773 ✭✭✭Speak Now


    Meteorologically winter is measured from December to February so one month left.


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  • #7
    Graces7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    No it's not...March is that, the 23rd or therabouts..


  • #8
    meeeeh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,624 ✭✭✭✭meeeeh


    Graces7 wrote: »
    No it's not...March is that, the 23rd or therabouts..

    Yes it's some time around 20th of March on equinox. Summer starts on the longest day of the year and winter on the shortest. Atumn is equinox again.

    But my division is 1st of March for spring, 1st of June for summer, 1st of September for autumn and 1st of December for winter. And the only scientific foundation for that is : because I said so.


  • #9
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,976 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't believe in seasons!


  • #10
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,976 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    meeeeh wrote: »
    Yes it's some time around 20th of March on equinox. Summer starts on the longest day of the year and winter on the shortest. Atumn is equinox again.

    But my division is 1st of March for spring, 1st of June for summer, 1st of September for autumn and 1st of December for winter. And the only scientific foundation for that is : because I said so.
    If we're going to get season-ist, you say that if the summer solstice is Midsummer, the the vernal equinox in March is 'Midspring'. And if Spring is three months long, then Spring starts a month and a half before the vernal equinox.


    However, I don't really care because I don't believe in seasons.


  • #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I am quite a creature of routine - the changing of the seasons always makes me feel humble and small. I do my morning run at the same time every morning - be it winter or summer - sunshine or hail. So I really observe the changes every day - changes in weather - temperature - the time of dawn and so on. So it gives a very strong feeling of the ongoing - infinite feeling - march of our planet on it's trek around the sun. Really feels like having a finger on the pulse of the planet.

    Can not say this winter felt that long - dark - or cold compared to previous years though.


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  • #12
    murpho999
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,783 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    Today is not the first day of Spring. Irish people are the only people in Europe who are taught this at school and it is wrong.

    This is from the Met Eireann website. Link
    Seasons
    The change from winter to spring or from summer to autumn is gradual and the general trend is subject to reversals which may last for a week or more. For Climatological purposes, on the basis of air temperature, seasons are regarded as three - month periods as follows: December to February - winter, March to May - spring, June to August - summer and September to November - autumn. This is a common grouping in the meteorological practice of many countries in the middle and northern latitudes.

    If today was Spring then August (Peak Summer Holiday season) would be Autumn which is clearly wrong.


  • #13
    Chris_Bradley
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,818 ✭✭✭Chris_Bradley


    Spring begins in March. Look out your window & tell me different.


  • #14
    Shrap
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,163 ✭✭✭Shrap


    murpho999 wrote: »
    Today is not the first day of Spring. Irish people are the only people in Europe who are taught this at school and it is wrong.

    THis is from the Met Eireann website. :link



    If today was Spring then August (Peak Summer Holiday season) would be Autumn which is clearly wrong.

    St. Brigid's day replaced the Irish pagan festival of Imbolc, which was our ancient celebration of renewal of life (budding of plants and animals getting pregnant or something) and related to the previously worshipped goddess Brigid. It is the cross-quarter day between the winter and spring equinox on the Celtic calendar and has been our traditional 1st day of spring whether it's seasonally accurate or not!

    Also, 1st March isn't likely to be better weather. We can get frosts and snow all the way into May...


  • #15
    OldGoat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,642 ✭✭✭✭OldGoat


    I've not seen any crocus flowering yet so it's still Winter.
    FACT.

    I'm older than Minecraft goats.



  • #16
    Harry Palmr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    Spring starts with the always glorious weather for St Pattys day *cough*


  • #17
    Shrap
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,163 ✭✭✭Shrap


    OldGoat wrote: »
    I've not seen any crocus flowering yet so it's still Winter.
    FACT.

    I've got narcissus flowering outside the door, but they were always a bit stupid. True, no crocuses flowering, but they're trying hard!


  • #18
    murpho999
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,783 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    Shrap wrote: »
    St. Brigid's day replaced the Irish pagan festival of Imbolc, which was our ancient celebration of renewal of life (budding of plants and animals getting pregnant or something) and related to the previously worshipped goddess Brigid. It is the cross-quarter day between the winter and spring equinox on the Celtic calendar and has been our traditional 1st day of spring whether it's seasonally accurate or not!

    Also, 1st March isn't likely to be better weather. We can get frosts and snow all the way into May...

    I don't care about all the Celtic or religious hocus pocus, today is not Spring.

    It's Winter and that's a scientific fact.

    Your examples of frosts etc are to with weather not climate (there is a difference) and our seasons often overlap.


  • #19
    Shrap
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,163 ✭✭✭Shrap


    murpho999 wrote: »
    I don't csare about all the Celtic or relgious hocus pocus, today is not Spring.

    I don't care either, but that's the reason we Irish are a bit muddled and get taught in school that it is Spring.


  • #20
    osarusan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,849 ✭✭✭✭osarusan


    There's a grand ould stretch in the rain alright.


  • #21
    cowboyBuilder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,419 ✭✭✭cowboyBuilder


    Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »
    I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't believe in seasons!

    Ireland has 2 seasons

    Winter

    Winter lite


    //


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  • #22
    King George VI
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,346 ✭✭✭King George VI


    i LOVE SPRING, THE RAIN GETS SLIGHTLY WARMER



    Edit: didn't realize my caps lock was on. Not changing it, makes my statement about spring more enthusiastic.


  • #23
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    murpho999 wrote: »
    Today is not the first day of Spring. Irish people are the only people in Europe who are taught this at school and it is wrong.
    .... If today was Spring then August (Peak Summer Holiday season) would be Autumn which is clearly wrong.

    Today, Lá 'le Bríde, is clearly the first day of spring, no matter what people with their heads conquered by other cultural traditions try to tell us is our own Irish tradition. And Lúnasa, 1 August, is the first day of autumn, while Meán Fomhair ("middle of autumn") is the second month of autumn, September, and Deireadh Fómhair ('end of autumn') is the last month of autumn, October.

    No point in trying to rewrite this indisputable very ancient Irish tradition just because it doesn't fit into another people's tradition.


  • #24
    meeeeh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,624 ✭✭✭✭meeeeh


    Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »
    If we're going to get season-ist, you say that if the summer solstice is Midsummer, the the vernal equinox in March is 'Midspring'. And if Spring is three months long, then Spring starts a month and a half before the vernal equinox.
    Around March 21st is equinox -solstice -spring
    Around June 21st is solstice -equinox - summer
    Around September 21st is equinox - solstice - autumn
    Around December 21st solstice - equinox - winter

    Seasons are defined by those dates. Personally I prefer the meteorological division posted somewhere above but those are astronomical seasons.


  • #25
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 36,089 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    meeeeh wrote: »
    Yes it's some time around 20th of March on equinox. Summer starts on the longest day of the year and winter on the shortest. Atumn is equinox again.

    But my division is 1st of March for spring, 1st of June for summer, 1st of September for autumn and 1st of December for winter. And the only scientific foundation for that is : because I said so.
    Summer begins on midsummer's day. Idiot logic, surely?

    Almost as stupid is basing your seasons on some arcane notion of the weather being warmer in August.

    The planets and the light define the seasons in Ireland. Copying the seasons from France or Spain makes as much sense as copying them from Australia.


  • #26
    meeeeh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,624 ✭✭✭✭meeeeh


    pickarooney wrote: »
    Summer begins on midsummer's day. Idiot logic, surely?

    Almost as stupid is basing your seasons on some arcane notion of the weather being warmer in August.

    The planets and the light define the seasons in Ireland. Copying the seasons from France or Spain makes as much sense as copying them from Australia.

    They are arbitrary set dates for northern hemisphere. There has to be some sort of universality to enable comparison. That's probably why meteorological seasons are better because the astronomical ones are old georgian calendar division that varies a bit. If you think that is idiotic because they don't correspond to dates your toes feel cold than so be it.

    Btw all this is primariy school geography.


  • #27
    murpho999
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,783 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Today, Lá 'le Bríde, is clearly the first day of spring, no matter what people with their heads conquered by other cultural traditions try to tell us is our own Irish tradition. And Lúnasa, 1 August, is the first day of autumn, while Meán Fomhair ("middle of autumn") is the second month of autumn, September, and Deireadh Fómhair ('end of autumn') is the last month of autumn, October.

    No point in trying to rewrite this indisputable very ancient Irish tradition just because it doesn't fit into another people's tradition.

    I don't see the relevance, at the time those terms were coined, people beleived that the earth was flat.

    Things move on , the calendar that was used was wrong, and just because it's some saint's day does not mean it's correct.

    The rest of the northern hemisphere has March (Around the solstice) as the start of Spring, our own Meteorological service agrees, how can they all be wrong.

    Also, I will never accept August as Autumn, as it's the warmest time of year.


  • #28
    mansize
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,521 ✭✭✭✭mansize


    Mean Fomhair- Sept
    Happy Spring guys!


  • #29
    murpho999
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,783 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    pickarooney wrote: »
    Summer begins on midsummer's day. Idiot logic, surely?

    Almost as stupid is basing your seasons on some arcane notion of the weather being warmer in August.

    The planets and the light define the seasons in Ireland. Copying the seasons from France or Spain makes as much sense as copying them from Australia.

    Midsummers day was the midsummer of pagans so it's their logic you are following.


  • #30
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 36,089 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    meeeeh wrote: »
    They are arbitrary set dates for northern hemisphere. There has to be some sort of universality to enable comparison. That's probably why meteorological seasons are better because the astronomical ones are old georgian calendar division that varies a bit. If you think that is idiotic because they don't correspond to dates your toes feel cold than so be it.

    Btw all this is primariy school geography.

    Arbitrary indeed... No need for sense when you have arbitrary. Which is somehow better than 'based on actual science'.


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  • #31
    namloc1980
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,464 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    Costosa wrote: »
    Today is finally the first day of spring, also St Brigid's Day. It's been a long cold and dark winter, thankfully the days are getting longer and not so cold.

    Long cold dark winter? In Northern Scandinavia maybe, not here though.


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