Image Credit: Edrick Wilson Recodo
It may not necessarily feel much like it every year, but the Spring, or Vernal Equinox is the day that represents the first day of spring.
March 19th or 20th is the date of the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and September 22nd or 23rd in the Southern Hemisphere. But what exactly is an equinox, what does it mean and how do you celebrate it?
The word Equinox comes from Latin. It literally means “equal nights”, that it is one of the two days in the year where the day and night are both exactly 12 hours.
While in the Northern Hemisphere the Spring Equinox occurs in March, in the Southern Hemisphere the Spring Equinox is in September, with the Autumn Equinox being in March.
The Spring Equinox represents the beginning of what is termed astronomical spring, which is based upon the position of the Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun.
Let’s be honest, here in the UK this could mean that it’s bright sunshine, howling gales and it has not been unknown for it to snow across the country this late in March. But after this date, the days are longer than the nights, the weather starts to get warmer and hopefully we will see blossom and leaves growing on the trees.
Many cultures have celebrated spring festivals for millennia. Winter is over, and it is time to plant crops. For example, the Christian celebration of Easter in late March or early April was probably chosen so that it coincides with the spring festivals which were already celebrated across Europe.
In pagan times you would celebrate by watching the sun rise on the day of the spring equinox, and many people still converge on sacred sites such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire to do this.
If you don’t want to get up quite that early, if the weather allows you can get out into the great outdoors and look for signs that spring has sprung.
Equinoxes are also reputed to be a good time to see fairies too, so maybe check the bottom of the garden too!