Vernal Equinox

Friday, March 20 at 7:44am EDT is the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere. Below the equator, it will be the autumnal equinox. From the Latin equal (aequus) and night (nox), the amount of day time to night time is virtually equal. This date marks the beginning of astronomical Spring. Meteorologists divide the seasons by months, so Spring for them began on March 1. 

A religiously significant day, the vernal equinox was New Year's day to the Persians, and a holy day to the Baha'i and Zoroastrian religions. Jewish Passover is the first full moon after the new moon after the equinox. Christian Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the equinox. The ancient Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so it faces the rising sun on this day.

A popular folk notion is that you can balance an egg on its point during the equinox. I believed and have done this experiment in the past. The theory being that on the equinox the world is upright on its axis, the fluid in the egg will be level, thus allowing it to sit on its end. Alas, this is not true. With patience and a steady hand, an egg can be stood on its end any day of the year. - as ever BB

"It's spring fever...you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so." - Mark Twain