Google Doodle: how the tech giant is celebrating the December holidays, and how the Doodle looks around the world

In other parts of the world, different events are getting celebrated by the search engine
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Many will be opening their advent calendars for the first time this morning, the unwritten ban on Christmas music before December has been lifted, and excitement for the holidays is beginning to swell.

To celebrate, Google have launched a new festive Doodle.

Today's Google Doodle celebrates the start of winter, and the incoming festive season of holidays in December (Image: Google)Today's Google Doodle celebrates the start of winter, and the incoming festive season of holidays in December (Image: Google)
Today's Google Doodle celebrates the start of winter, and the incoming festive season of holidays in December (Image: Google)
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When does winter start in 2020? Astronomical and meteorological seasons explaine...

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What does today’s Doodle celebrate?

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Today’s animated Doodle is a simple one, designed to instil some festive cheer into those who see it, before they go about their browsing.

Winter is here (in at least one sense) and the festive season is not too far away! (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)Winter is here (in at least one sense) and the festive season is not too far away! (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Winter is here (in at least one sense) and the festive season is not too far away! (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

It simply depicts the Google logo, which is wrapped in seasonal fairy lights by a helpful yellow bird who then perches atop the logo’s ‘O’.

As the cute critter lets out a tweet, the lights illuminate, giving Google something of a virtual Christmas lights switch on.

That’s all there really is to it, but while it’s a simple affair, it’s nice to be given a festive surprise as the final month of 2020 gets underway, especially considering the tough year the entire planet has faced.

When does winter start?

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The start of winter is marked by two different dates - a meteorological and an astronomical date.

By the meteorological calendar, the first day of winter is always 1 December, and the season ends on 28 February (or 29 February during a Leap Year).

Meteorological seasons split the seasons into four periods, made up of three months each.

These seasons are divided to coincide with the Gregorian calendar, which makes it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.

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The seasons are defined as: spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February).

What else is Google celebrating?

Of course, the holidays aren’t the only thing worth celebrating on December 1, and in other parts of the world, different events are getting celebrated by the search engine.

It may be the first day of winter for us here in the Northern Hemisphere, but on the other side of the globe, countries like Australia and welcoming their first day of summer.

That’s why Google’s Doodle there celebrates the beginning of the new season with a colourful image of a flamingo riding a hot air balloon.

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In Panama in the Central American belt, Google is serving up the Teachers’ Day Doodle we in the UK received a few weeks ago; Teachers’ Day is not a set, international date, and can vary from region to region.

And in Romania, Google is celebrating the country's Great Union Day, in commemoration of the unification of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș with the Romanian Kingdom on 1 December 1918.

2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the selection of this date for the country’s national holiday, which occurred in 1990.