Why does Spring start on the First of the month in NZ Do other countries

Hmm, the Encyclop=E6dia Britannica has it wrong:

"in climatology, season of the year between winter and summer during which temperatures gradually rise. It is generally defined in the Northern Hemisphere as extending from the vernal equinox (day and night equal in length), March 20 or 21, to the summer solstice (year's longest day), June 21 or 22, and in the Southern Hemisphere from September 22 or 23 to December 22 or 23."

his question orginated quite rudely by a British friend who talked about NZ "Galapagos Island syndrome (how it evolved isolated customs that do not exist elsewhere), that included no napkins, 'wearing' bare feet (even in a city or in grocery stores) leaving shop doors open in the cold and not washing dish soap (which is quite contagionous in large doses) off when rinsing. (The last three are quite rational questions since such practices are unsanitary...but then we use a dishwasher.)

but this following disucussion makes more sense: "For astronomers, a season begins with a solstice or equinox. For meteorologists, however, it begins on the first day of the month in which a solstice or equinox occurs. That's common practice also here in Europe....

Here in the US, our meteorologists tell us that the seasons begin on the solstice or equinox. I have never understood this, because wasn't the summer solstice originally called Midsummer (and the winter solstice called Midwinter)? How can the solstice be MID-anything if it's the BEGINNING of the season? It just doesn't make sense. I think most Americans would tell you that spring doesn't "officially" begin until around the 21st of March, but I think most of them consider the months of March, April, and May to be "unofficially" spring. It just makes sense to think in terms of three entire months for each season.

Here in Europe, those meteorologists on TV often refer to solstice or equinox too, but that's only because its the more popular version. On several occasions I heard a weatherman (maybe a weatherperson?) say something like, "Today is the first day of summer, at least that's customary practice. For us meteorologists, however, the beginning of summer was three week ago."

Joe it

hmm perhaps the chruch had something to do with it?