Spring Equinox 2019: Ancient traditions resonate in the modern world

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(CNN) – For those of us who approach things on Goldilocks' principle (neither too little nor too much), the spring equinox is virtually perfect.

That means we are getting that glorious balance between day and night all over the world – from the equator to the pole – in about 12 hours each.

The 2019 Spring Equinox will be held on Wednesday, March 20th and is eagerly awaited worldwide.

For Northerners who have shuddered during a dark winter, this promises longer days, increased warmth, vibrant flowers and more time outdoors.

For the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere, especially Australia, where they have experienced a particularly brutal summer, this brings blessed relief from cooler autumn days.
For thousands of years, people have celebrated this period of rebirth. We will examine some of the festivals, holidays and mysterious structures surrounding the spring equinox, as well as basic scientific and factual elements:

The spring equinox has another name

If you ever hear someone say a "spring equinox", it means the same thing.

The term equinox comes from the Latin word "equinoxium" which means "equality between day and night". And the vernal also comes from Latin and means spring.

Equinoxes are not exactly "equal"

It turns out that you have a little more daylight than darkness at the equinox, depending on your position on the planet. How's it going?

As the National Weather Service of the United States explains, "almost" the same number of hours of day and night are due to the complexity of the sunrise measurement and the refraction of light solar in our atmosphere.

This inclination of light rays "causes the sun to appear over the horizon when its current position is below the horizon". The day is a little longer at higher latitudes than at the equator because it takes longer for the sun to get up and get closer to the poles.

You get that day / night really evenly divided a few days before the official spring equinox. This is what is called equilux.

When is the spring equinox – exactly?

Vacation

The cultures and countries of the world mark the equinox of spring with various holidays. Here are a few:

Nowruz (Persian New Year): It is one of the oldest celebrations of humanity, dating back thousands of years. Nowruz is a word in Farsi of Iran meaning new day.
According to the United Nations, more than 300 million people celebrate Norouz. This includes Iran as well as places that have felt the Persian influence of all times: the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Despite the tradition that preceded the rise of Islam for many centuries, it is a national holiday in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The festival has its roots in the ancient religion of Shintoism. The adherents believed that every natural object possessed spiritual strength. In the spring, trees and flowers develop and the vernal equinox has finally become the official day of the holiday.

The holiday is now secular. To celebrate this event, people will gather together as a family, visit shrines, look for cherry blossoms and other natural wonders.
Holi: Another Asian religion, Hinduism, has a holiday with the arrival of spring. Holi a very old festival. The first known mention is made in a poem of the fourth century.

It is a national holiday in India and it is celebrated the day after the full moon of the Hindu month of Phalguna. This is not a uniform holiday – the start and end dates may vary from region to region and the duration of the celebration may also be different. For many Indians in 2019, Holi will begin on Wednesday, March 20th and end the next day.

For many Westerners, the party is known for the brightly colored powders with which people cover themselves and others.

Easter: It is no coincidence that Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at about the same time that spring brings a rebirth to nature (at least in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere ).

The date of each Easter is fixed on the first Sunday after the full moon, at the spring equinox or after. This allows Easter to fall from March 22 to April 25. In 2019, Easter will be April 21st. (The Eastern Orthodox Churches will celebrate April 28th).

Ancient sites and gatherings

Our ancestors were very aware of the seasons and movements of the sun and other stars. They have built mysterious sites that have at least one obvious use: that of giant calendars, often aligned to visibly display the rays of the sun during solstices and equinoxes.

Here are some of them:

Chichen Itza, Mexico: This complex of Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is popular all year, but especially during the spring and autumn equinoxes.
At the "El Castillo" pyramid dedicated to Kukulcán (or Quetzalcoatl), the late afternoon sun creates the shadow illusion of a snake that slowly slides down the north staircase. Thousands of people come here to watch this show and the day has now a carnival atmosphere, with music, dancers and more.
Temples of Mnajdra, Malta: On the Mediterranean island of Malta, the Mnajdra complex is composed of three temples. The date of construction of the buildings is estimated at 3600 BC. at 2500 BC
During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the rising sun is perfectly aligned with the main gate of the lower temple, allowing sunlight to fill the main hallway with the innermost altar. It is an event celebrated on the island.

Stonehenge, England: The most famous Neolithic structure in England, if not the world, is the gathering place for pagans, druids and the curious plain at the spring equinox.

You can arrange an excursion to the equinoxes or solstices and watch the same watchmaking and impressive sunrise as the one observed by our ancestors thousands of years ago.

Equinox Bonus 2019: Supermoon!

This year's spring equinox has something special: the last super-moon of 2019. She calls Full Worm Moon and she will get up the same day as the equinox.

We must go back to 1981 to find the full moon and the spring equinox occurring on the same date.

During a supermoon, our orbital neighbor appears brighter and a little taller than usual as he gets up.

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