Seasons

One of the things that requires accustomisation in the tropics is the lack of seasons, especially noticeable around holidays. For me, the various holidays sprinkled throughout the year serve to mark not only the holiday itself, but also the passage or transition of time. Easter means spring is on its way. Victoria Day means summer is around the corner and that is it time to either haul out the barbeque or open up the cottage. St. Jean Baptiste is the official beginning of summer and end of school. Labour Day [first Monday in September, not the first of May] means that the nights are getting cooler and summer is winding down. Thanksgiving coincides with the brilliant fall colours. Remembrance Day is always dull and dreary as is most of November, and of course, the lights and cheer of the Christmas season cleverly coincide with the start of winter. When every day in the tropics is another day at the beach, the holidays don't quite have the same association that they do back in the northern hemisphere. Fortunately though, the Easter = Chocolate Bunnies association is alive and well here so my senses aren't totally out of whack!