We have all been there at least once. Daylight savings is upon us and we forget to change the clocks the hour difference. Now we have digitalised clocks which are updated automatically as soon as the change hits, but what about those clocks which are not connected to the internet? It is important to know when daylight savings begins and ends each year, as it is constantly changing.
This year, in 2020, daylight savings will begin at 2 am on Sunday the 4th of October and end at 2 am on Sunday the 5th of April. These times are given in Eastern Standard Time and signify moving an hour forward or back in time. On these days we are all time travellers!
Daylight savings time in Australia is not recognised in all states. It is utilised in New South Wales, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Norfolk Island. On the other hand, Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands do not recognise daylight savings.
Knowing whether to move forward or back is another important point you must take into account. The old saying goes ‘Spring into spring and fall into fall’. By this we can recognise that when we are moving into Spring, aka in April, we will be moving the clock forward one hour. On the other hand, when autumn comes around, during October, we move the clocks backwards. Thus, Springtime is the end of daylight savings while Autumn is the beginning.
The purpose of daylight savings time relates to the hours of sunlight we get in summer compared to winter. In winter we see shorter days and longer nights, so moving the clock back or forward will help to keep our schedule concerning the daylight. This is beneficial, especially in summer, as it gives us an extra hour of daylight once we finish work for the day on average. It is not as practical in winter when days become shorter.
This practice dates back to the earliest civilisations. They did not have clocks to change, but their schedules were adjusted to fit with daylight hours. Romans are a prime example and did have a way to tell the time. They used water clocks with different scales for different times of the year. They changed the number of minutes in specific hours to adjust for the daylight change. This has progressed to the present and is used throughout the world to take advantage of daylight hours.
So, keep in mind the dates for daylight savings this year so that you stay on top of the all-important time change. You do not want to be left out of the loop on this one! Remember April signifies the jump forward an hour and October is when we move back as long as you are in one of the many states in which it is utilised.
