Kirsty Mckenzie
Spring is officially here, the days are getting longer and from Sunday the evenings will be lighter the clocks turn forward by one hour.
The equinox on March 21 marks the end of the chillier winter days and the beginning of spring, according to the meteorological calendar.
And the following Sunday, the clocks will go forward, bringing an end to the dark afternoons we’ve had to endure over winter.
We can’t wait until the start of spring and brighter days. But what exactly is Daylight Saving Time, when the clocks change and why do we do it twice a year?
When do the clocks go forward in Spain?
We will have to put our clocks forward by one hour when we welcome daylight savings time on Sunday March 27 – but it could well be the last time the clocks ‘spring’ forward in Spain.
While many welcome the lighter evenings, some politicians believe that we no longer need to follow the strange light-seeking ritual.
In 2018, the President of the EU Commission announced his plan to abolish the changing of the clocks after an online survey showed that Europeans are in favour of staying permanently on “summer time”.
His proposal came after a public consultation revealed more than 80% of the 4.6 million citizens who participated in a survey were in favour of ending the hour change.
Jean-Claude Juncker said he planned to get rid of the seasonal changing of the clocks, but the measure was postponed indefinitely to allow all the national government time to decide which time-zone they want to stick in.
So far we’ve heard no official word on what will happen going forward – but if Jean-Claude Juncker’s wishes are honoured this could well be the last time we turn the clocks forward.
But why do we do this?
The current convention has it that all of Europe changes its clocks forward one hour on the last weekend of March.
The moving of the clocks was invented by George Vincent Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist in 1895, and was first introduced by Germany and Austria during World War 1 to save coal usage.
The UK and Spain soon followed suit and the measure became widespread use across the world during the 1970s because of the energy crisis but it is now considered by many as obsolete and the energy saved is so low.
When do the clocks go back again?
After summer, the clocks will go back again — but that won’t happen until the last weekend of October.
If you’re unsure as to which way the clocks go during which season, an easy way to remember it is that you ‘spring forward and fall back’.
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