When is the first day of Summer in 2008?

The First Day of Summer

It depends where you live because the first day of summer is timed with the summer solstice.

For most of the United States, summer begins on June 20.

In Europe it's June 21.

In Australia it's six months later, on December 21.

On the other hand, if you are looking for an "official" first day of summer, there is no such thing. The United States, for instance, has never declared when the seasons start. The International Astronomical Union hasn't either. In many areas of Europe, May 1st is considered the first day of summer (as the meterologists in the United States do) with the Summer Solstice being the "Midsummer" (as in Shakespeare's play).

However, certain solar calendars (that follow the cycles of nature) do declare "official" seasons. In the Persian calendar, for example, summer officially starts on the first day of the month of "Tir" (equivalent to the Summer solstice in the northern hemisphere).

See links at bottom for more information:

First answer by Nirel. Last edit by Nirel. Contributor trust: 671 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 25 [recommend question]