Christmas is a Christian holiday that is celebrated the world over by many peoples in many countries. The occasion marks the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The holiday of Christmas is traditionally commemorated with decorations, parties and gift giving. These festivities often continue for the entire month of December, and in some cultures throughout January.

For most places of the world Christmas falls during the coldest months, because in most countries winter is from December to March. But in Australia, summer starts in December and ends in March, which makes Australian Christmas traditions unique. To understand why this is you have to know the difference between the North and South hemispheres.

What's a hemisphere?

If you look at the Earth as a whole it is a sphere that can be divided in half horizontally. Each of the resulting halves of the planet would be a hemisphere. In fact the word hemisphere literally means 'half-a-sphere' in Greek. The Southern Hemisphere, as it is called, starts at the equator and ends up at the South Pole. Macro sociologists estimate that approximately 88-90% of the human population on the planet lives in the Northern Hemisphere. Some notable countries in the Southern Hemisphere include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina and the islands of the South Pacific.

Climate of the Southern Hemisphere

Even though there are less people in the Southern Hemisphere, there is actually more life in terms of biodiversity. This is because the vast majority of the Southern hemisphere is cover in ocean water, with only 20% of its territory on land. Since water heats up slower than land this creates an overall milder climate in the southern half of the planet. By air, land or sea, most of the world's tropical rainforests, flora and fauna populate the Southern hemisphere. The continent of Australia has three main climate zones, equatorial in the north, tropical to subtropical in the middle and temperate in the south.

The Seasons in Reverse

When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. The reason that the seasons for each one are in reverse has to do with the fact that there are two hemispheres. The planet Earth does not stand straight up and down. It is actually tilted on its axis like it is on a globe. As the Earth makes its way around its orbit, the southern half is closer to the sun half the time, while the northern half is closer to the sun during the other half of the time. This along with some complicated explanations of physics is why it is summer during Christmas time in Australia.

Christmas in the Summertime

Having the Christmas holiday during the hottest part of the year makes the annual celebration somewhat different in the Southern hemisphere. In countries like Australia and New Zealand, summer vacation and the Christmas celebration fall into the same time period. So while the rest of the world is bundling up by the fireplace, going on sleigh rides or hitting the slopes for their winter holiday, everyone in the Southern hemisphere is surfing, barbequing and playing sports. Most people in Australia spend their Christmas at an outdoor gathering, perhaps camping or sunning on the beach.

Did you know..?

Another interesting difference between the Northern and Southern hemispheres is called the Coriolis Effect. The way that the Earth spins makes large bodies of air or water deflect clockwise on the top and to the counter clockwise on the bottom. This phenomena can most often be observed in circular weather patterns like tropical storms and hurricanes, or sinkholes and whirlpools. Results may vary in smaller bodies of water such as the kitchen sink or a toilet bowel. A similar effect is seen in shadows as they change through the day. In the Southern Hemisphere, they move anticlockwise with the sun.

 


Archive


More Blog Posts