The western world experiences four seasons every year. The period between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice is called Spring. Between the summer solstice and autumnal equinox they experience their Summer. Similarly the period between autumnal equinox and winter solstice is called Autumn and that between the winter solstice and vernal equinox is Winter. Thus they have four seasons divided equally through the year.
Now let us see how Indians defined seasons.
THE INDIAN METHODOLOGY:
The western method of defining season does not actually correspond to seasonal changes in India. So in India, the year is divided into six seasons or Ritus. They are,
|
INDIAN SEASONS |
WESTERN SEASONS |
PERIOD |
|
Grishma |
Summer |
April 14 - June 14 |
|
Varsha |
Rainy season |
June 15 - August 16 |
|
Sharat |
Autumn |
August 17 - October 17 |
|
Hemanta |
Late Autumn |
October 18 - December 15 |
|
Sisira |
Winter |
December 16 - Febrauary12 |
|
Vasantha |
Spring |
Febrauary 13 - April 13 |
It is to be noted that the dates for the seasons given above can change by a day or two depending on the particular year.