Today, while Catalan children will only start crying and dragging their twenty-kilo backpacks to school in a week, millions of children around the world are stepping into school for the very first time. But if you think this happens simultaneously in every country, you’re mistaken. In reality, what seems natural and obvious to us, starting school on September 1st, is more an exception than a rule.
To understand this, we need to go back to the roots. Before the Industrial Revolution, education worldwide followed one simple principle: the life of rural communities. Children studied when their help wasn’t needed in the fields. In the Northern Hemisphere, this meant the winter months, when agricultural work came to a halt. That’s why European schools traditionally ran from November to March, while summers were reserved for helping parents.
But industrialisation changed everything. Cities needed educated workers, and the new economy demanded standardised school systems. Different countries began experimenting with calendars, and geography quickly became a decisive factor.
Japan, during the Meiji era, chose April for good reason. The new government wanted to align the school year with the financial year, which also began in spring. At the same time, April symbolised renewal, the season of cherry blossoms, marking a fresh life cycle in Japanese culture. This symbolism proved so powerful that it still shapes the rhythm of the entire nation.
Scandinavian countries took a completely different path. Harsh winters with minimal daylight made learning ineffective. So Finland, Sweden, and Norway decided to start the school year in August, making the most of autumn’s light and granting longer winter breaks.
Germany shows yet another fascinating model. Its federal system allows each region to decide school start dates independently. Far from chaotic, this staggered calendar prevents transport overload during holidays and spreads tourist flows evenly. Germany is also home to one of the most charming school traditions: the Schultüte, large colourful cones filled with gifts for first-graders.
In the Southern Hemisphere, educators faced a completely different challenge. In Australia and New Zealand, European settlers initially tried to keep the old calendar, but quickly realised its impracticality. September in Europe marks autumn, in Australia, it’s the middle of spring. That’s why Australian children begin school in February, after their long summer holidays during the hottest part of the year.
India adds even more complexity. This vast country with diverse climates cannot have a single national school calendar. In monsoon regions, schools open in June, after the rains. In mountain areas, classes start in spring. In deserts, the school year adapts to the cooler seasons.
Only the countries of the former Soviet Union created a truly unique phenomenon: the Day of Knowledge as a state holiday. On September 1st, 1984, it was officially declared not just the start of the academic year, but a national celebration uniting millions through a shared ritual. Ceremonial assemblies, flowers, white bows, the first bell, all of this built a powerful emotional tradition found nowhere else in the world.
Today, globalization is gradually erasing these differences. International schools follow their own calendars, online education allows year-round learning, and academic mobility forces students to adapt to multiple systems. Yet cultural traditions prove more resilient than technological change.
What does this mean for us? Education is not only about transferring knowledge, but also about preserving cultural identity. Every country has created its own ritual for children’s entry into the world of learning, and this diversity enriches the global educational community.
That’s why we greet everyone on the Day of Knowledge, those who celebrate today, those who will celebrate tomorrow, and those for whom it has already passed. Because true learning knows no calendar boundaries, it lasts as long as curiosity about the world and the desire to understand it remain alive.