I’d expect the shortest day of the year to also be the coldest, with the coldest season of the year spreading out equally on both sides of it.
I’d expect the shortest day of the year to also be the coldest, with the coldest season of the year spreading out equally on both sides of it.
Wouldn’t solar observation pretty much universally divide the year into something divisible by four? Unless you’re directly on the equator, there are four points in a year and four points of direction (other than ‘right here’).
I haven’t read deeply about world calendars, but do know that the solstices are pretty much universally recognized.
Not a history or anthropology buff, but I have a general feeling that four pointed symbols are often tied to the solar year. You can build a solar calendar with a stick and rocks.
The solstices, as we know them, are a Western idea that has been propagated through European colonialism and conquest. They are now widely accepted around the world, but this was not always the case.
Cultures like India, Japan, and natives in Australia or Northern Canada (as a small handful of examples) have historically split the seasons into as few a 6 seasons and as many as like 24. Then, there are some cultures in tropical climates that simply use two. Different areas of the world are going to have varying climate changes during the year (dry season vs. wet season, monsoon seasons, etc.) that influence how seasons are perceived. In Europe, spring and autumn were particularly important for farming.
Your general feeling comes from what you know, and what you know is limited to your personal worldview.