Many Guyanese now refer to the period of July and August as summer. The term has weaved its way into our lexicon, with no thought about climatology, meteorology or astrology it seems. A season is characterized by special climatic conditions and summer is the time that is hottest in those countries that experience four seasons. In the Northern hemisphere, summer begins in June and ends in August. It begins with the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year, and occurs between June 20th and June 22nd. The summer solstice occurs when the path of the sun is farthest north in the Northern hemisphere or farthest south in the Southern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere summer occurs between December and February, with the summer solstice occurring on December 22nd. Many spiritually enlightened people reflect, meditate, strategise and plan during the summer solstice for it is a time of light and, therefore, awakening.
Guyana is a tropical country, which means that our climate is warm or hot throughout the year. The period many are now referring to as summer is no different from most of the remaining ten months. But Guyana is significantly influenced by American culture and referring to July and August as summer is another result of that.
