While Andrew Rothovius' article is very good, he makes a major (and very common) mistake by stating that May Day (or Beltane) is the halfway point between Spring and Summer. As DruidJames pointed out, May Day is the BEGINNING of Summer, just as Samhain (Hallowe'en) is the beginning of Winter.
Somehow, Midsummer and Midwinter have become confused in the minds of so many (including, apparently, the Old Farmers' ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË) as the beginning dates for these seasons. Anyone at all familiar with the history of our seasonal celebrations as established throughout time, as well as our calendars, can easily see that Midsummer and Midwinter are just that-- the MIDDLE of those respective seasons, NOT their beginning.
I've attempted to get the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË staff to correct this mistake, but have had no success.
While Andrew Rothovius' article is very good, he makes a major (and very common) mistake by stating that May Day (or Beltane) is the halfway point between Spring and Summer. As DruidJames pointed out, May Day is the BEGINNING of Summer, just as Samhain (Hallowe'en) is the beginning of Winter.
Somehow, Midsummer and Midwinter have become confused in the minds of so many (including, apparently, the Old Farmers' ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË) as the beginning dates for these seasons. Anyone at all familiar with the history of our seasonal celebrations as established throughout time, as well as our calendars, can easily see that Midsummer and Midwinter are just that-- the MIDDLE of those respective seasons, NOT their beginning.
I've attempted to get the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË staff to correct this mistake, but have had no success.