The terms Summer time and Winter time are used in Europe when the clock moves 1 hour forward or back, either in the last weekend of October or in the last weekend of March. This is not a concept known in Sri Lanka. So we thought of explaining it to you simply; It is also called the Day light saving time in Europe.

In Europe, there are more daylight hours during the months March to October than the other months. During these months, the sun is coming up early in the morning (from 4-6 am) and also sunset can be very late (from 7-11 pm in the evening). Europe has the maximum daylight on the 21 June. So people wanted to use these daylight hours efficiently in their day-to-day schedule.

On the other hand the months November-March have very minimal daylight hours. During these months, the sunrise can be late as 9 am and the sunset so early as 4.30 pm. Once again, to use these minimal daylight hours productively, people made the Summer and Winter times.

EXPLAINING SUMMER AND WINTER TIMES

• Summer time– The summer time starts on the last weekend of March. This is when Europe turns the clock forward 1 hour so that more daylight hours are gained. This means that the sun would rise an hour later and people will go to work after dawn (not in darkness). This also means that people will work an hour less with the daylight and can enjoy one extra sunlight hour in the evening for any other activities.

• Winter time–The winter time starts on the last weekend of October and ends at the last weekend of March. This is when Europe turning the clock behind 1 hour so that the minimal daylight hours are fully utilized. This means that the sun would rise an hour earlier and people can sleep an hour extra. This also means that people will work also an hour later, sometimes til the dusk (since sunlight is only til around 4.30 pm in general).

So if you are coming to Central Europe in the months of April-October note that you are having a – 3 1/2 hours between Sri Lanka and mainland Europe. If you are coming in the Winter months of November- March the time difference becomes – 4 1/2 hours.

See our tours in Europe here, both suited for the Winter and the Summer times.

Tags: sri lankan traveller, time difference