The Spring Equinox has many cultural traditions and much folklore

Spring has Sprung

The first day of spring marks the official end of winter, although the weather may remain cool for a while. Known as the vernal equinox, it occurs when the Sun is positioned directly above the Earth's equator. Many people believe this occurs each year on March 21, but that's not true.

The date changes because of two factors. A leap year and the Earth's orbit being 365 days and six hours. The equinox usually happens between March 19 and 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.

On this date, the Earth’s tilt (about 23.5°), causes seasonal changes as the planet orbits the Sun. During the Spring Equinox, day and night are nearly equal in length (about 12 hours each).

Day and night are not 100% equal during the equinox due to atmospheric refraction and how sunrise and sunset are measured. They do, however, come close.

Cultural celebrations around the world

The equiniox is a time of cultural celebrations worldwide. Although Christians don't celebrate Spring per se, their second biggest holiday is determined by the equinox.

The date of Easter/Resurrection Sunday is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Early Christians decided to observe the resurrection of Jesus Christ to redirect focus away from Spring observances they believed were pagan.

The Spring Equinox goddess Eostre is celebrated during the Equinox. This association is why some Christians today say Resurrection Sunday rather than Easter, which they associate with the pagan goddess.

Still, many cultures have celebrated the vernal equinox in their own fashion for thousands of years. In Iran and across Central Asia, the arrival of Spring represents the new year and renewal of life.

In Zurich, Switzerland, locals explode an 11-foot-tall snowman-like effigy called the “Böögg,”(Boogeyman) in a tradition dating to the Middle Ages. During the Hindu festival of Holi, held near the vernal equinox, millions of people fill the streets of India and Nepal dressed in all white.

They smear each other with brightly colored powder made from plant extracts and get each other wet with squirt guns and balloons filled with pigmented water.

At the ancient Mexican Mayan site Chichén Itzá, during the spring equinox, sunlight casts a shadow resembling a serpent descending the pyramid. In India, Spring is seen as a joyful triumph of good over evil. Many ancient cultures built monuments to align with the sun's movement. On the first day of Spring, modern-day pilgrims visit these sites.

In England, hundreds of druids and pagans gather at dawn in the middle of Stonehenge to watch the sun rise over the giant monoliths of the 5,000-year-old stone circle. The morning sun also shines directly into a passage tomb at Ireland’s Loughcrew Megalithic Monument, illuminating a back stone covered in petroglyphs for 50 minutes. In Egypt, the setting sun disappears directly behind the right shoulder of the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Pyramid of Khafre’s southern corner.

Spring Equinox myths

In Greek mythology, Persephone returns to the earth from Hades( the land of the dead) to welcome Spring. Some believe there is mystic power available on the first day of Spring.

There is a long-standing legend that you can balance an egg only on the equinox or Good Friday. The truth is, you can balance an egg any day of the year. All you need is patience.

It's been said that the Spring Equinox brings unusual weather, but scientists say weather patterns develop over a period ot time rather than on one date. These are but a few of the ways the first day of Spring is observed in different cultures.