Summer is one of the four seasons of the year. In the West, the seasons are generally considered to start at the equies and solstices, based on astronomical reckoning. In English-language calendars, based on astronomy, summer begins on the day of the summer solstice and ends on the day of the autumn equinox. When it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, it's winter Northern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
   However, because the seasonal lag is less than 1/8 of a year (except near large bodies of water), the meteorological start of the season, which is based on average temperature patterns, precedes by about three weeks the start of the astronomical season. According to meteorology, summer is the whole months of December, January, and February in the Southern Hemisphere, and the whole months of June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere. Today, the meteorological reckoning of the seasons is gaining broader acceptance, with Australia using this system predominately, but the astronomical definition is still more frequently used in other parts of the West.
   In Ireland, summer starts as early as May 2 even though July, August and September are the warmest months there. In some countries, summer begins on June 1, while in others it arrives as late as July 1. In general, seasonal changes occur later in coastal regions, so countries close to the oceans go for a later start to summer (with the exception of Ireland) than inland ones. Summer is commonly viewed as the season with the longest (and warmest) days of the year, in which the daylight predominates, through varying degrees.
Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginnings, of the seasons. In Chinese astronomy, for example, summer starts on or around May 6, with the jiéqì (solar term) known as Lixia (立夏), for example "establishment of summer". An example of Western usage would be William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, where the play takes place over the shortest night of the year, which is the summer solstice.
   In Southern and Southeast Asia where the monsoon occurs, summer is more generally defined as March to May or early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon rains.
   In most countries children are out of school during this time of year, although dates vary. Some begin as early as mid-May, although in England, from the ages of 5-16, school ends in the middle of July. In the Southern Hemisphere, school holiday dates include the major holidays of Christmas and New Year's Day. Summer school holidays in Australia begin a few days before Christmas and end in late January to mid-February, with the dates varying from state to state. Summer is also the season in which many fruits, vegetables, and other plants are in full growth.

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