In the Northern Hemisphere according to the astronomical outlook, summer lasts from the summer solstice (typically June 21) through to the autumnal equinox (typically September 21). Of course, the Northern Hemisphere includes all of North America and all of Europe so summer should be celebrated at the same time in both continents. However, this is not always the case because the meaning of summer can vary in different cultures. Americans are aware of the official dates for summer probably because the mass media always reminds us. Nevertheless, some people consider the real summer, the full months of June, July and August. Strangely enough, Americans can think of summer as either the aforementioned astronomical or full month views but they can also observe what is called the unofficial summer. This would portray summer as being book ended by the holidays of Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) and Labor Day (the first Monday in September). So it seems that in America one person’s summer may not be quite the same as someone else’s.
It can vary from state to state but traditionally school children would have off almost the whole summer. American children have the following rhyme to mark the end of the school year:
“No more pencils,
No more books,
No more teachers’ dirty looks,
When the teacher rings the bell,
Drop your books and run like hell.”
(This was actually used in Alice Cooper
’s 1972 song called “School’s Out”)
Parents love when they start seeing the “Back to School Sale” signs because they know that the rug rats will soon be safely back in the class room. At the other end of the spectrum these same advertisements are the worst nightmare of children. Even the older kids know that they will soon have to say farewell to their summer jobs and their summer loves and get reacquainted with their textbooks.
In Ukraine things are a little different. I noticed this right away when the calendar initially hit June first. I heard all of the Ukrainians chatting about the start of summer. I politely informed them that summer was still 3 weeks away. I was then also politely informed that it was not the case in Ukraine. This is a minor cultural difference because as far as I can tell all Ukrainians think of June 1 till the end of August as the season of summer. Actually, last year when I was starting a vacation at the end of August the quick change in the weather had me emulating their pattern. In any case, it is traditional in the former USSR to follow the meteorologist view of summer, which is the full months with the warmest days. Right now, my Ukrainian friends are enjoying the beginning of their summer but I won’t correct them because I learned that I can never win this argument.
Posted by John
It can vary from state to state but traditionally school children would have off almost the whole summer. American children have the following rhyme to mark the end of the school year:
“No more pencils,
No more books,
No more teachers’ dirty looks,
When the teacher rings the bell,
Drop your books and run like hell.”
(This was actually used in Alice Cooper
’s 1972 song called “School’s Out”)Parents love when they start seeing the “Back to School Sale” signs because they know that the rug rats will soon be safely back in the class room. At the other end of the spectrum these same advertisements are the worst nightmare of children. Even the older kids know that they will soon have to say farewell to their summer jobs and their summer loves and get reacquainted with their textbooks.
In Ukraine things are a little different. I noticed this right away when the calendar initially hit June first. I heard all of the Ukrainians chatting about the start of summer. I politely informed them that summer was still 3 weeks away. I was then also politely informed that it was not the case in Ukraine. This is a minor cultural difference because as far as I can tell all Ukrainians think of June 1 till the end of August as the season of summer. Actually, last year when I was starting a vacation at the end of August the quick change in the weather had me emulating their pattern. In any case, it is traditional in the former USSR to follow the meteorologist view of summer, which is the full months with the warmest days. Right now, my Ukrainian friends are enjoying the beginning of their summer but I won’t correct them because I learned that I can never win this argument.
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