Witches, wizards and druids from across the land are familiar with the cultural and astronomical significance of the March equinox. Spring symbols and celebrations around the world Stonehenge Whether you are a pagan or Gregorian at heart, we can all agree that March will be a welcome breath of fresh air after a stormy winter. The summer months are the three hottest and the winter months are the coldest, with spring and autumn falling in between. This date is chosen more so because of the shifts in temperature, and divides each month cleanly into four groups of three: spring (March-May), summer (June-August), autumn (September-November) and winter (December-February). Meteorological spring begins on the first day of March, nearly three weeks earlier than the vernal equinox. This system is more often coupled with meteorological spring, and not the movements of the sun. In the post-Christ era, most of the world operates by the Gregorian calendar. Understanding the seasons, and therefore being able to recognise the passing of one season to the next, was extremely important for early human civilisations as these events informed people when to harvest and when to begin stockpiling food for the colder months. Due to the angle of the sun, the temple creates a stunning visual of a giant serpent slithering down the temple steps. In Mexico for example, the ancient Mayan temple Kukulcán, built over 1000 years before Christ, was designed to create an amazing visual effect twice every year during the equinoxes. There is evidence to suggest that humans have been celebrating these astronomical events since the neolithic period - long before Christianity became the moral and cultural norm of the Western world. The solstices are equally significant cultural events and are celebrated all over the world, with the winter solstice bringing the shortest day and the summer solstice bringing the longest. In one astronomical cycle of the Earth there are four key events which mark the passage of one season to the other: these are called equinoxes and solstices.Įquinoxes, days of equal day and night, occur in March and September, whilst the solstices occur in December and June. The equilux, meaning ‘equal light’, occurs a few days before the spring equinox and a few days after the autumn equinox.ĭuring the equilux, the disk-shape of the sun is factored into calculations and the result is a perfectly balanced day of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark.Īfter the event, the Earth’s axis tilts the northern hemisphere towards the sun, giving us longer and warmer days and providing the ingredients for a splendid British summer. Yet there is a day when the whole world can experience equilibrium, which is known as the ‘equilux’. However, because of the disk-like shape of the sun and the way it gradually rises above the horizon revealing the top first, the day of the spring equinox actually sees 12 hours and 10 minutes of sun and not an equally distributed 12 hours. This phenomenon occurs because the Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun’s rays. On the day of the equinox, the length of day and night is in principle exactly the same for the entire world. It means ‘equal night’ - aequus (equal) and nox (night).

The word ‘equinox’ comes from, as you might have guessed, a Latin term. The season will continue all the way until the summer solstice, which takes place on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. It is also important to note that the clocks go forward by an hour at 1am on the 27th March, one week after the equinox, which will give Britons even more time in the sun. The vernal or spring equinox marks the first day of astronomical spring this year, it falls on Sunday, March 20 in the northern hemisphere. These seasons revolve around equinoxes and solstices. When is the Spring Equinox in 2022?Īstronomical seasons are determined by the Earth's tilt as it orbits the sun.

This event has long been celebrated in the northern hemisphere as a time of rebirth and is an important component in various spring-time festivals such as Easter and Passover. The March equinox, also known as the spring or vernal equinox, is a watershed astronomical event that occurs every year and signifies the start of the new season.įor those in the southern hemisphere, the March equinox marks the beginning of autumn. It’s been a cold and blustery winter across the UK, and while the chilly weather will continue for a while longer, Britons will take relief in the arrival of the March equinox, signalling warmer weather, longer days and the many blooms of spring.

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