Summer
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- For other senses of this word, see Summer (disambiguation).
It is also called the season of the midnight sun near the North Pole; in Iceland for instance.
For many people in the West, the seasons are considered to start at the equinoxes and solstices in an "astronomical" sense. However, due to the phenomenon of seasonal lag, the "meteorological" start of the season precedes, by about three weeks, the start of the "astronomical" season. This time differential keeps the "meteorologial" definition more symmetrically centered around the warmest part of the year than the "astronomical one" is. Today, the "meteorological" definition is gaining momentum, but the "astronomical" definition is more frequent, and most people today still regard it as "official". In fact, the equinoxes and solstices of the astronomical seasons are considered to be the naturally official beginnings of seasons. The astronomical seasons still appear on most calendars. Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginning, of the seasons. In Chinese astronomy, for example, summer starts on or around May 6, with the jiéqì (solar term) known as 立夏 (lì xià), i.e. "establishment of summer".
In Southern and Southeast Asia where the monsoon occurs, summer is more generally defined as March to May or early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon rains.
In most countries children are out of school during this time of year, although dates vary. Some begin as early as mid-May, although in England, from the ages of 5-16, school ends in the middle of July.
Summer is also the season in which many fruits, vegetables, and other plants are in full growth.
Summer in popular culture
There are several cultural associations with summer. Commercials touting summer may involve Beach imagery, including bathing suits, beach balls and surf boards. Summer clothings accounts for the effects of increased heat and sunshine, including but not limited to: shorts, tee shirts, sun dresses, sunglasses, and sandals.In the United States, Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff for summer and Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, with other peak summer travel occurring over July 4 weekend. Because schools let out in the summer, this season is common for travel, such as road trips. As a result of supply and demand, gas prices tend to increase in the Summer. Many students get summer jobs.
In late summer, back to school sales are common.
Movies
Since the late 1990s in North America, likely due to release of summer blockbusters beginning the first Friday in May, there has been an increasing trend for businesses to begin summer promotions on May 1 in order to get a head start on tourists. This is likely due to the fact that although May is the typically only the fifth warmest month in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the third largest month of daylight hours. In addition, with an earlier start of the back-to-school promotional period along with the trend of having the last day of school before Memorial Day in many states forces many retailers to push summer ahead, along with the fact that summer is typically the most long-awaited season.Personifications of Summer
See also
External links
- ["Summer of animals and plants in Finland"] by Northern Nature Project
- [The seasons do not begin at the time of the solstice or equinox] (from the Bad Astronomer)
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