March 20, 2021. 5:37 AM. That’s the Spring Equinox. Also known as the Vernal Equinox, it’s commonly referred to as the day of transition between Winter and Spring. There are two equinoxes in the Northern hemisphere when the day and night are almost the same length.
Many different cultures celebrate the Spring Equinox as an important date, sometimes also as a holy one. The Iranian New Year (Nowruz) is on the day, along with Japan, where Higan is a week of Buddhist services and the day of the spring equinox is a national holiday called Shunbun no Hi. Many people celebrate March 20th as Earth day. Pagans also celebrate the day, as well as many others. Many new year dates are celebrated based on the birth of one person, while many cultures celebrate their own new year by the rebirth of life in the Spring.
An equinox occurs at the moment when the Earth’s axis doesn’t tilt toward or away from the Sun. A person standing on the equator on an equinox can observe the Sun passing directly over their head. Aside from two annual equinoxes, there are two solstices every year, the Summer Solstice, and the Winter Solstice. The Summer Solstice has the longest day of the year, whereas the Winter Solstice have the shortest. The word solstice comes from the Latin “solstitium,” meaning “stopped sun.”
I wish all of you a Happy Spring!
