2 ms·

The part of the year where it is cold does not start on the shortest day of the year. There is the part of the year that is cold and there’s the part of the yea

The part of the year where it is cold does not start on the shortest day of the year. There is the part of the year that is cold and there’s the part of the year between the shortest day of the year and the equinox, both are winter. Winter doesn’t mean a lot in mild places where you can wear a tshirt out most days of the year. Where it snows, winter is more or less the time of the year where it snows. People need to relax a little about absolute definitions of things.

II2II 4y ago
In a sense, the astronomical definition of winter has a lot more meaning in a connected world. I grew up in a part of Canada where the (colloquial) winter started at the end of October and ended at the end of March. I now live in a part of the country where it starts in late December and runs until the end of April. If you're trying to convey time by saying that something happened last winter, different people are going to have very different ideas of when that means. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't be discussing time in terms of the seasons. Anyone in the southern hemisphere experiences the opposite, while people living in equatorial regions don't really share our notions of seasons (from my understanding).
- colechristensen 4y ago
  Different places have different seasons. Some places have monsoon season, parts of New England have mud season. Referring to a time period based on what the weather is like for a significant portion of the year makes sense when that is a relevant part of the comparison. Winter official definition is basically “astronomical Q1” which honestly isn’t all that useful in most cases. (It’s a bit stupid that our months, major holidays, and year almost but not quite align with the astronomical milestones).
  - II2II 4y ago
    With respect to the astronomical definition of the seasons, they line up reasonably well where I currently live (coastal) but not with where I grew up (interior). Likewise, holidays probably lined with the seasons at one point in their history. What we are likely seeing is the gradual shift between natural phenomena and a human construct, i.e. the calendar. We carry a lot of historical baggage with us, even if we rarely think of it.
- wumpus 4y ago
  Don't blame astronomers! We think it's cold when it's actually cold, not only after the solstice.

II2II 4y ago

In a sense, the astronomical definition of winter has a lot more meaning in a connected world. I grew up in a part of Canada where the (colloquial) winter started at the end of October and ended at the end of March. I now live in a part of the country where it starts in late December and runs until the end of April. If you're trying to convey time by saying that something happened last winter, different people are going to have very different ideas of when that means. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't be discussing time in terms of the seasons. Anyone in the southern hemisphere experiences the opposite, while people living in equatorial regions don't really share our notions of seasons (from my understanding).

colechristensen 4y ago
Different places have different seasons. Some places have monsoon season, parts of New England have mud season. Referring to a time period based on what the weather is like for a significant portion of the year makes sense when that is a relevant part of the comparison. Winter official definition is basically “astronomical Q1” which honestly isn’t all that useful in most cases. (It’s a bit stupid that our months, major holidays, and year almost but not quite align with the astronomical milestones).
- II2II 4y ago
  With respect to the astronomical definition of the seasons, they line up reasonably well where I currently live (coastal) but not with where I grew up (interior). Likewise, holidays probably lined with the seasons at one point in their history. What we are likely seeing is the gradual shift between natural phenomena and a human construct, i.e. the calendar. We carry a lot of historical baggage with us, even if we rarely think of it.
wumpus 4y ago
Don't blame astronomers! We think it's cold when it's actually cold, not only after the solstice.