This Sunday, October 26, Greeks will get a small but sweet treat: an extra hour of sleep. At 04:00 a.m., clocks will move back to 03:00 a.m., marking the official transition from daylight saving to winter time.
As usual, the change happens on the last Sunday of October, in line with the European Union’s policy designed to maximize daylight and save energy. While the biannual clock change has long sparked debate across Europe, no final decision has yet been made, and Greece continues to follow the traditional schedule. The winter clock will remain in effect until the last Sunday of March 2026, when daylight saving returns.
A Brief History of Daylight Saving
Adjusting daily routines to make better use of sunlight is centuries-old — but despite popular belief, Benjamin Franklin did not invent daylight saving. In a satirical 1784 letter to the Journal de Paris, Franklin suggested that Parisians could save on candles and oil by waking earlier in summer — he did not, however, propose moving the clocks.
In Greece, daylight saving was first trialed in 1932 but only became a permanent practice after the 1973 energy crisis. Across Europe, the first formal measures were introduced in Germany in 1916, during World War I, to conserve electricity for wartime production.
Since 1996, the European Union has maintained a unified schedule, with clocks moving forward in spring and back in autumn. In 2021, the EU allowed member states to choose whether to stick to permanent summer or winter time, but Greece has postponed any final decision.
Today, only a minority of countries still follow daylight saving. Most nations in Asia and Africa have opted out, while some European countries are actively debating its relevance.
For Greeks, the clock change is more than a technicality — it’s a small cultural ritual, a marker of seasonal rhythm, and, for one morning at least, a chance to sleep in. Some embrace it eagerly, while others grumble at the disruption to their internal clocks — yet the conversation about whether the practice should continue is far from over.
