Why does the winter solstice mark the beginning of winter, and not the center?
Why does the winter solstice mark the beginning of winter, and not the center?
I'd expect the shortest day of the year to also be the coldest, with the coldest season of the year spreading out equally on both sides of it.
You're viewing a single thread.
An old answer I saw said that Europe (where conventions originated) has a bigger lag in temperatures than North America has. We both lag and the lowest temps are commonly in Jan-Feb.
Why does it matter for Europe? Winter solstice is an astronomical event. Also probably practiced in China earlier.
Labeling it the beginning of winter is a cultural thing.
Two things because I'm not sure what you're referencing. 1) We inherited a shit ton of European norms and terminology. 2) The cold weather in Europe has much more lag because of their geography. Large bodies of water, which Europe is surrounded by on 3 sides, smooths out and slows temperature changes.
I’m unclear what it has to do with Europe besides the cultural part because it’s a planetary event that cannot be affected by humans
Sigh. This is my last explanation and there are plenty of explanations in this thread. I'm taking small liberties to get the point across:
In North America it's cold Dec to Feb.
In Europe it's cold Jan to March. Europe has a bigger lag in cold temperatures because of their geography.