# Why do we have FOUR seasons in a year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2000, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778 "2000-11-05T03:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmoreno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@cmoreno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmoreno)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/1 "2000-11-05T03:58:22Z")
I’ve read somewhere that during the Middle Ages there were five, not four seasons like today. In Spain, for instance, the summer was divided in two: “verano” (corresponding to the end of spring and the beginning of summer) and “estio” (the rest of the summer).Why did the Western World settled the division of the year in exactly four parts? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/2 "2000-11-05T04:06:56Z")
Probably 'cuz it’s easiest to divide the year into 4 segments, given the natural occurance of the vernal equinox, the summer solstice, the autumnal equinox, and the winter solstice, all spaced 1/4 year apart ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/3 "2000-11-05T04:36:20Z")
We have five seasons here, summer, fall, winter, mud and spring. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/4 "2000-11-05T05:12:34Z")
Only two here, unbearably hot and bearably hot. ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/5 "2000-11-05T05:41:26Z")
Well, here in Ithaca, I can classify seasons. We have fucking cold winter. That’s definite. We have fucking hot summer. That’s definite. Then we have ridiculously turbulent times between the two where one day I’ll need to wear shorts and the next I’ll need a coat. So make that four seasons. Winter, dur?, summer, dur? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/6 "2000-11-05T07:11:25Z")
A Minnesotan checking in - 2 seasons, take your pick which one you like best: Shovel and swat. Winter and road repair. Then there’s nine months of winter and three months of poor sledding…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/7 "2000-11-05T13:44:05Z")
Here in Alberta, we have eight seasons: Winter Winter A dirty, brown, snowless period called “Spring” Summer A clean, brown, snowless period called “Fall” Winter Winter and Winter The Summer season is, for some reason, too damn hot in my opinion. The winter seasons (all mostly identical) are not just cold. The winter here is “gratuitous profanity invocation inducincly cold” (as in “Holy shit! It’s too fuckin’ cold out!”) ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/8 "2000-11-05T14:02:00Z")
Hey **Surgoshan** - you forgot the motto for Ithaca: “Ithaca - where clouds go to die.” (When I was up there, we went 57 days with no sun. Quite a few people skipped classes when the sun finally did appear.) Do they still sell shirts for the: “Ithaca Rain Festival - January 1 to December 31”? ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/9 "2000-11-05T14:19:40Z")
You sure are lucky that you get four seasons where you live as we only get two, those would be winter and road construction season. For the record, I think construction season ended yesterday as everything is covered in snow this morning. It’s time to break out the dog sleds. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/10 "2000-11-05T14:23:17Z")
Most of the tropics has two seasons: wet and dry. Chicago has eight seasons: Ice hell (mid Dec - mid Feb) The cold tease (mid Feb - late Apr) The wet tease (late Apr - late May) Gorgeous (late May - early July) Swamp hell (mid July - mid Aug) Gorgeous (mid Aug - mid Sep) Autumn (late Sep - late Oct) Death (end Oct - early Dec) Cecil sez the solstices / equinii make poor beginnings/ends to the four seasons: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_170b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_170b.html) ---
**Author:** ![cmoreno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@cmoreno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmoreno)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/11 "2000-11-05T14:32:14Z")
Come on, folks! Besides legendary Qadgop the Mercotan - his answer really brought some light to the problem - all of you just could not resist to express your wit. I enjoy lighthearted threads, too, but I need some concrete information here. Give me a hand, will you? Cmoreno. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/12 "2000-11-05T14:45:39Z")
Cleveland has only two seasons: Rain and Snow. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/13 "2000-11-05T14:53:06Z")
I don’t have a cite, but I remember reading that New England traditionally recognized five seasons, splitting Fall in two. My WAG is that different cultures recognize different seasons, because climate varies around the world. Four were commonly recognized by the folks who eventually became dominant. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/14 "2000-11-05T14:59:08Z")
The Chinese recognize 5 seasons, corresponding to the 5 elements. Spring (Wood) Summer (Fire) Late Summer (Earth) Fall (Metal) Water (Winter) ---
**Author:** ![Doubleclick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Doubleclick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubleclick)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/15 "2000-11-05T19:23:45Z")
Here in Toronto,we only have two. Winter and road construction. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/16 "2000-11-05T20:10:13Z")
In temperate zones, four does make a certain amount of sense. The depths of winter and the height of summer make two fairly obvious extremes. In between, you have two transitional periods. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/17 "2000-11-05T20:14:46Z")
**screech-owl** , you think 57 cloudy days in a row is significant? Cleveland averages five clear days a year. Montana, by the way, has three: Skiing season, runoff, and summer. ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/18 "2000-11-05T20:16:40Z")
Well, the Earth has a faulty axis. We wobble. The angle of approaching light from the sun varies. Thus at times it gets cold and at times it gets hot. In between it changes. Hence, four seasons. If you want a reason why we recognize four (winter, summer, spring, fall), instead of say, eight (commencement, springzen, middlar, summerius, mortus arboretus, chillien, winter), I don’t really know, except that four is a nice, square (or tetrahedral) number. ---
**Author:** ![DrDoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DrDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDoom)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/19 "2000-11-05T20:28:21Z")
Maybe we just like even numbers. Two were too few and six were too many? But maybe it was just cold, warm, hot, and cool? And then again, that would only apply to us in the US. Do people at the equator recognize 4 seasons? Would people at the North Pole, if it was inhabited, have more that one season, other than cold! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Pinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dr.Pinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Pinky)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2000, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778/20 "2000-11-05T21:27:06Z")
Last fall, it rained here for 100 days straight, save 5. This spring, it started in on that same soggy note, when someone said: “Welcome to Spring. Brought to you by the makers of Fall.” I thought it was amusing, anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-four-seasons-in-a-year/39778.md?page=2)