Best quote was at the end. "However, human being are such creatures of habit and imitation, that what is necessity soon becomes fashion, and each one wishes to do what everyone else is doing. A lady in the neighbourhood closed all her binds and shutters, on May-day; being asked by her acquaintance whether she had been in the country, she answered, "I was ashamed not to be moving on the first of May; and so I shut up the house that the neighbours might not know it." One could not well imagine a fact more characteristic of the despotic sway of custom and public opinion, in the United States, and the nineteenth century.[29]"

In medieval Italy (and probably most of southern Europe) sharecroppers whose "rental contract" expired were expected to move from one allotted housing/field to another on the 11th of November. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fare_San_Martino

That is absolutely bonkers! Who'd think this was a good idea?!

Its bonkers now, having to give up one domicile with no guarantee the next one is going to be available at the same time. Endless work ensues - double moves (to storage then to the new place), overpaying rent (new lease starts 2 months before old one is up) and so on.

This essentially happens in Boston to this day (though the date is September 1st).

Because so many renters in Boston are college students, it drives the market. Also because all the Boston colleges know about the September 1st moving date, all of the Boston colleges start classes just after September 1st. (In other parts of the country, college classes may start before September 1st.)

The two reinforce each other.

Montreal still does this—-a huge proportion of leases end on July 1.