Greece will switch to winter time on Sunday, October 26, moving clocks back one hour at 4:00 a.m. This change marks the end of the seven-month daylight saving period and a return to standard time for the next five months.

The concept of daylight saving, designed to make better use of daylight and save energy, dates back centuries. Benjamin Franklin first suggested adjusting daily schedules to take advantage of sunlight, though he did not propose moving clocks.

In Greece, daylight saving time was first trialed in 1932 but was not permanently adopted. Following the 1973 energy crisis, European countries—including Greece—formalized the practice in 1975. Across Europe, the first daylight saving measures were introduced in 1916 in Germany during World War I to conserve electricity for war production.

Since 1996, the European Union has maintained a unified schedule: clocks move forward one hour in spring to maximize daylight and back one hour in autumn. In 2021, the EU ended the obligation for member states to alternate clocks, allowing each country to choose whether to keep permanent summer or winter time. Greece, however, has postponed its national consultation indefinitely.

Today, the global population using daylight saving is a minority, with most countries in Asia and Africa opting out, and some nations considering abolishing the practice altogether.

For Greeks, the switch on October 26 is a reminder of a longstanding tradition that balances energy conservation with seasonal daylight changes.