Spring equinox March 20: signs, traditions, customs

CHISINAU, March 18 - Sputnik. In 2017, the spring equinox falls on March 20 at 10:28 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time), or 12:28 Chisinau time.

The equinox, that is, the equal ratio of dark and light hours of the day, occurs twice a year - in spring and autumn. In the old days, these dates were considered to be the change of seasons, and now they are guided by the calendar.

Scientists consider the spring equinox to be the astronomical beginning of spring. From an astronomical point of view, from this day the spring period begins, which lasts until the summer solstice, which in 2017 falls on June 21. Therefore, the day of the spring equinox has been considered a mystical and long-awaited event since ancient times.

astronomical spring

The spring equinox occurs when the sun moves from the southern hemisphere of the celestial sphere to the northern. At the indicated time, the Earth will overcome a quarter of a year's path, moving along its orbit. The two hemispheres will be illuminated by the Sun exactly half, which explains the equal duration of daylight and darkness.

Since the day of the spring equinox, the seasons of the hemispheres change. Astronomical spring begins in the northern hemisphere of the Earth, and astronomical autumn begins in the southern hemisphere, which continues until the summer solstice.

Then the Sun will continue its movement, moving from the southern hemisphere to the northern one. After six months, the equinox will again come, but during this period the Sun will already be on the opposite side of the orbit.

Historically, the vernal equinox is March 21st. It was on this day that the spring equinox took place in the year 325, when at the First Ecumenical Council the general rule was adopted to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, but not earlier than the spring day of the equinox.

But, due to the fact that the astronomical year differs from the calendar year, the spring equinox does not have a fixed day and hour and shifts by almost six hours every year, and therefore falls on different dates. It can fall from March 19th to March 21st.

The earliest dates of the equinoxes occur in leap years, and the latest dates occur in years before leap years. In a leap year, there is a time adjustment that returns the equinox to the previous date.

Traditions and customs

Since ancient times, among many peoples of the world, the day of the vernal equinox was considered a great holiday - magical and ritual. In ancient and medieval times, spring festivals were held with fun and rituals that called for the fertility of the land and the well-being of people.

And the ancient Egyptians even built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly to the rising sun during the spring equinox.

In Moldova, the arrival of spring is celebrated with the national holiday "Martisor". In the first days of March, it is customary to give each other spring "talismans" made in the form of two flowers woven from red and white threads.

Many nations have kept this holiday in their calendar to this day. The Navruz holiday, which means "new day" in Farsi, has its roots in the tradition of the ancient farmers of the Middle East and Central Asia.

In the CIS, the equinox day is celebrated as a national holiday by Moldovans, Tatars, Kazakhs, Bashkirs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Uzbeks and many other nations.

On the day of the spring equinox, many eastern countries, including Iran and Afghanistan, celebrate the New Year.

The Celts and Germans associated this day with the rebirth of spring and marked the beginning of the agricultural season. In order to meet the spring especially and please the goddess Ostara, the housewives dyed eggs and baked wheat buns. Ostara is one of the most "old" goddesses; evidence of her worship dates back to the end of the 2nd millennium BC.

The Slavic holiday of the komoeditsa-Shrovetide is timed to the spring equinox, when people saw off the winter and met the spring, personifying the revival and revival of nature. People believed that the more cheerful and joyful the holiday was, the more generous nature would be to them.

In Russia, this day was called "Magpies" and it was celebrated in a special way. People believed that it was at this time that many birds arrived, namely 40. The lark was the symbol of the holiday, since it was the first to return.

© Sputnik/Alexander Imedashvili

hipster market

One of the customs was to bake cookies in the shape of a bird that day. And the first person who saw the lark was given cookies from the whole village. The rest of the delicacy was subsequently distributed to all the children in the village, so that they, in turn, called out the larks, who, according to legend, would bring spring with them.

Traditionally, March 20 is World Earth Day, calling on all people to realize that the Earth is our common home, which should be loved, protected and preserved for future generations.

On the day of the spring equinox, astrologers celebrate their professional holiday - Astrology Day, timed to coincide with the beginning of the astrological year, when the Sun enters the sign of Aries. In many countries, this day is magical, as it is the only day of the year when spring meets spring.

Usually at this time, fortunetelling and solemnly burn the effigy of winter, meeting the long-awaited spring.

Signs

On this day, you should monitor the weather, which determines the nature of the weather for the next 40 days. If it is warm on this day, then there will be no cold and frost until the summer.

On the day of the spring equinox, you can not quarrel, get upset, sort things out with loved ones. It is best to spend this day with your family or with your loved one.

© Sputnik/ Alexey Kudenko

The holiday should be celebrated cheerfully so that the whole next year can be spent without worries and not thinking about the bad. The wish made on this day will surely come true. On the day of the spring equinox, fortunetelling is about love. To do this, you can use divination on Tarot cards, classic cards, runes, oracles. At the moment of divination, you should focus on your situation, ask a specific question in order to get an accurate answer.

Since the holiday was preceded by Maslenitsa (in 2017 from February 20 to February 26 inclusive), many girls use similar fortune-telling. So, for example, pancakes were also baked on that day, and if the first pancake was not lumpy, then they believed that they would get married this year. When a girl wanted to know what gender her first child would be, she followed who would take the first pancake from the festive table. If a man, then you need to wait for a boy, and if a woman, respectively, a girl.

Many girls believed that it was this night that dreams would be prophetic. Before going to bed, usually many guessed at their husband - they put two aces (of spades and diamonds), a ten of clubs, a key, a ring and a piece of cake under the pillow. All items had to be wrapped in a white scarf.

In the morning, the girls judged the future, depending on what they dreamed of: a ring for an imminent wedding, a card of spades - for trouble, a key or bread - for success in work, a pie - for luck and joy, a tambourine card - for wealth, club - to move.

The vernal equinox is a time for manifestation of feelings. And if you have long wanted to confess your feelings to your loved one, you need to do this on the day of the vernal equinox.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources Sputnik Georgia.