Vernal Equinox History and Traditions
by Kevin Buyer
From a technical standpoint the Vernal
Equinox is an astronomical event, it's one of the four quadrature
days of the Earth's orbit. However for people both modern and ancient,
the Vernal Equinox marked the transition from winter into spring. The
Vernal Equinox occurs on March 20th or 21st and is one of two days
during the year when there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of
darkness, the other day is the Autumnal Equinox.
People have been marking and celebrating
the Vernal Equinox for thousands of years. The Great Sphinx which was
constructed over 4500 years ago on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, faces due
east on the Vernal Equinox. The monoliths located at Stonehenge, which
are estimated to be over 3000 years old, mark the position of the rising
sun on the Vernal Equinox. In Central America the Ancient Mayan Caracol
Tower and Temples of the Sun and Moon also have alignments that coincide
with the sun's position on the Vernal Equinox.
Most historians believe that this
knowledge was important to ancient cultures in choosing a time to plant
their crops. In Iran they celebrate Norouz (which roughly translates to
"new day") on the Vernal Equinox. In China they celebrate
Chunfen on the Vernal Equinox. In ancient Europe they celebrated the
arrival of the goddess of spring Ostara on this day. Ostara was also
known as Ostera and Eostre in different parts of Europe. Many historians
believe the Christian holiday Easter gets its name from Eostre, as she
had an enchanted rabbit that could lay eggs. In more modern times the
Vernal Equinox marked the first Earth Day celebration in 1971.
One of the odd traditions that that occur
on the Vernal Equinox is egg balancing. The story goes that it is
possible to balance a raw egg on its oblong end on this day. There is no
truth to this rumor it's just as easy (or hard) to balance an egg on its
end on this day as it is any other day. This story is perpetuated by the
media who usually run a small segment on it, during news shows on this
day.
This article is © Copyright Holiday-Central.net
About the Author
Kevin Buyer runs the website http://www.Holiday-Central.net
where he writes about origins, history, legends, and traditions
associated with calendrics, celebrations, festivals, and holidays. |
