Spring equinox 2022: holidays, signs, unexpected facts

On March 20, the Day of the Vernal Equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. The sun will cross the celestial equator at 06:06 Moscow time. At all times, the day of the equinox has attracted the attention of scientists, pseudoscientists and even political figures. About the features of this day, holidays, signs and common misconceptions associated with it – in the MK material.

Data

A curious difference between the spring equinox and the autumn, as well as the winter and summer solstice, is that in the 21st century it almost always falls on March 20, that is, on the same date. According to calculations by experts, the next time this event will occur on the 21st will only be in 2103. In different years, the summer solstice may fall on July 20 or 21, the autumn equinox on September 22 or 23, and the winter solstice on December 21 or 22. It is worth noting that at the time of the Council of Nicea, the vernal equinox fell on the 21st of the Gregorian calendar, and in the future it will increasingly occur on the 19th.

In central Russia, the day of the vernal equinox approximately coincides with the beginning of climatic spring, that is, the period when the average air temperature begins to stably exceed zero on the Celsius scale.

The equinox is accompanied by interruptions in the operation of some satellites in geostationary orbit. In regions where the Internet is only available via satellite, it may temporarily stop working.

Myths

It would seem that the main feature of the autumn and spring equinoxes should be that the light and dark times of the day on these days are compared with each other – this follows from the name itself. However, the day both north and south of the equator will last slightly longer than night. This is due to the fact that the sun’s rays are refracted in the Earth’s atmosphere, and during sunrise and sunset the solar disk is slightly “raised” above the horizon. It seems that the morning comes earlier and the evening later. This phenomenon is called “atmospheric refraction,” and if it weren’t for it, the day and night of March 20 would really have been equal.

Another misconception is that the Sun is further from the Earth in winter than in summer. For the Southern Hemisphere this is indeed the case, and during winter in the Northern Hemisphere the Earth passes through a portion of its orbit closer to the Sun than in summer. The fact is that the change of seasons is not associated with a change in the distance to the Sun, but with the inclination of the Earth’s rotation axis to the plane of the Earth’s orbit. By the way, due to the fact that the Earth is closer to the Sun, it moves somewhat faster, as a result of which in the Northern Hemisphere astronomical autumn and winter collectively last five days less than spring and summer, and in the Southern Hemisphere – by five days longer.

Holidays

Many folk holidays are tied to the day of the vernal equinox to one degree or another – in the fact that daylight hours began to occupy most of the day, some civilizations saw a conditional victory of the “forces of light” over the “forces of darkness.”

The time for celebrating Easter by the Christian church was set on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21.

In some countries, March 20 marks the beginning of the new year. In Rus’, until the end of the 15th century, festivities on the New Year coincided with the Vernal Equinox. On this day, it was customary to bake larks from dough.

In Kazakhstan, along with the more “international” holiday of January 1, at the state level on March 21-23, “Nauryz Meiramy” is celebrated, which dates back to the New Year holiday among the Iranian and Turkic peoples.

On June 28, 2012, the United Nations declared March 20 as International Day of Happiness. The stated goal was to support the idea that the pursuit of happiness is the inherent desire of every person on the planet.

In addition, the Vernal Equinox is celebrated as Earth Day, established by the UN in 1971. It should not be confused with “International Mother Earth Day” on April 22, nor with the “Earth Hour” campaign, which is not dedicated to either of these holidays. Contrary to popular belief, Earth Day is dedicated not so much to environmental problems as to issues of world peace.

March 20 is also unofficially considered “the day of astrology” – a holiday of pseudoscience that seeks to explain the thoughts of people and the events that happen to them by the movement of the luminaries.

Signs

In Russia, according to some sources, long before the above-mentioned Day of Happiness, there was a sign according to which the Day of Spring Balance should be spent in a good mood. It is not recommended to quarrel on March 20th.

Another sign suggests that the weather on Spring Balance Day determines how warm the summer will be and how soon it will come. Also, sunny weather, as stated, suggests that there will be no frosts in the spring, and cloudy weather means that frosts will return within a month and a half. Also, seeing a lark was considered a sign of imminent spring, and seeing a finch was considered a sign of cold weather.

March 20 is considered a good day for general cleaning.