It Really Is Spring!

Good morning everyone! It really is the first day of Spring. I’d like to share some information from Dateandtime.com about this day:

The vernal equinox will occur on March 20 in 2008, marking the beginning of spring in some cultures and falling around the Easter period in many Christian churches. Sources such as NASA have confirmed the March 20 date for the upcoming vernal equinox in 2008. The vernal equinox will occur at 5.48am at Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on March 20, 2008. However places that are six hours or more behind UTC will observe the vernal equinox as early as March 19. At Vernal Equniox 2008, the sun is a little east of Indonesia, in the Indian Ocean.

Twice a year, around March 20 or 21 and September 22 or 23, the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world. These two days are known as the vernal (or spring) equinox and the autumnal equinox.

What does equinox mean?

The word “equinox” derives from the Latin words meaning “equal night” and refers to the time when the sun crosses the equator. The word “vernal” means “spring” in Latin. At such times, day and night are everywhere of nearly equal length everywhere in the world.

It is important to note that while the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, it is the start of autumn in many parts of the southern hemisphere.

Vernal Equinox Explained

The vernal equinox is the movement when the sun crosses the true celestial equator – or the line in the sky above the earth’s equator – from south to north, around March 20 (or March 21) of each year. At that time, day and night are balanced to nearly 12 hours each all over the world and the earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun.

The point of intersection of the ecliptic, inclined from south to north, and the celestial equator is called the true vernal equinox. In gyroscopic motion, the earth’s rotational axis migrates in a slow circle based as a consequence of the moon’s pull on a nonspherical earth. This nearly uniform motion causes the position of the equinoxes to move backwards along the ecliptic in a period of about 25,725 years.

Nearly Equal?

During the vernal equinox, the length of night and day across the world is nearly, but not entirely, equal. This is because the day is slightly longer in places that are further away from the equator, and because the sun takes longer to rise and set in these locations. Furthermore, the sun also does not set straight down, but it also moves in a horizontal direction.

During the vernal equinox, the length of daylight is about 12 hours and eight to nine minutes in areas that are about 30 degrees north or south of the equator, while areas that are 60 degrees north or south of the equator observe daylight for about 12 hours and 16 minutes. Many regions around the equator have a daylight length about 12 hours and six-and-a-half minutes during the vernal equinox.

Moreover, one day does not last for the exact same 24 hours across the world and due to time zone differences, there could be a small difference in the daylight length between a far-eastern and far-western location on the same latitude, as the sun moves further north during 24 hours. For more information, click here to find out the length of day in a particular city. Select a location in the drop-down menu below to find out the length of day on March 20, 2008.

The vernal equinox, which occurs across most of the world on March 20 in 2008, coincides with a variety of cultural events, religious observances or customs. Usually falling on March 20 or March 21, it is a time when the sun shines directly on the equator and day and night are almost equal across the world. It is also a time when many cultures observe rituals, customs or holidays.

Easter

Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, according to Christian belief. The Easter date depends on the ecclesiastical approximation of the vernal equinox. In 325CE the Council of Nicaea decided that the Easter date would be the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. Easter is therefore delayed one week if the full moon is on Sunday, which lessens the likelihood of it falling on the same day as the Jewish Passover. Maundy Thursday, which precedes Good Friday, Easter Saturday (or Holy Saturday) and Easter Sunday, falls on March 20, 2008. Click here for more information on Easter.

For the first time in nearly 100 years Easter is coming at its earliest on Sunday, March 23, 2008. The last time Easter Sunday fell on March 23 was in 1913. However, Easter can occur earlier than March 23. The earliest Easter ever recorded in the Gregorian calendar from 1753 onwards was on March 22, both in 1761 and 1818.

The next time Easter occurs on March 23 will not be until 2160, and a March 22 Easter will not happen until the year 2285. The Easter date is set around the time of the vernal, or spring, equinox, when the length of day and night is nearly equal in every part of the world. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, according to Christian belief.

Higan

Higan, or Higan-e, is a week of Buddhist services observed in Japan during both the spring and autumn equinoxes when day and night are equal at length. Both equinoxes have been national holidays since the Meiji period (1868-1912). Before World War II, they were known as koreisai, or festivals of the Imperial ancestors. After the war, when the national holidays were renamed, they became simply spring and autumn equinoxes. Higan is a one-week period surrounding the spring and autumn equinoxes. It means the “other shore” and refers to the spirits of the dead reaching Nirvana after crossing the river of existence. It celebrates the spiritual move from the world of suffering to the world of enlightenment and is a time to remember the dead by visiting, cleaning and decorating their graves and reciting sutras. Buddhist prayers, rice balls and sushi are offered. This is a time for the Japanese to worship their imperial ancestors and to welcome spring.

The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday

The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (Mawlid An-Nabi) falls on March 20 in 2008. Mawlid, or Milad, marks the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammed, or Mohamed, in the year 570 of the Gregorian calendar. Mawlid is a public holiday in many Islamic countries.

Nowruz (No-Ruz)

The Iranian start of the New Year (Nowruz, No-Ruz, No-Rooz or No Ruz) occurs during the time of the vernal equinox, in accordance with the Persian astronomical calendar The No-Ruz celebration of spring lasts for about 12 days and dates back to pre-Islamic times. Preparations begin well in advance and include purchasing new clothes for all family members and thoroughly cleaning homes. Wheat or lentil representing new growth is grown in a flat dish a few days before the New Year and is called Sabzeh (green shoots). Decorated with colorful ribbons, it is kept until the 13th day of the New Year, and then disposed outdoors. Oil Nationalization Day in Iran also falls on March 20.

Tunisian National Day

In Tunisia, March 20 is Independence Day. Following World War II, Tunisia experienced a surge of nationalism and in 1956 France signed a treaty to recognize the country’s full independence.

Purim

Purim is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Hebrew calendar. It will take place around the time of the vernal equinox in 2008, or the 14th day of the month of Adar. Purim is a Jewish holiday to celebrate the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to kill all Jews in the Persian Empire, as told in the scroll of Esther.

According to Jewish law, Jews are commanded to do four things on Purim. These are: listening to a public reading, often in a synagogue of the Book of Esther, or the Megilla (also referred to as Megillah); sending a gift of food to at least one friend; giving charity to the poor; and eating a festive meal. During the reading of the Megilla, each pronunciation of the name of Haman is drowned out by the noise of wooden rattles or other instruments that make loud noises. The services in the synagogue have a festive nature and often include elements, which would be unacceptable at other times of the year. Some people fast for one or more days before or after Purim.

Earth Day

Some organizations scheduled Earth Day 2008 for March 20, while others set the date for April 22, 2008. For some, Earth Day is when people from all nations, religions and cultural backgrounds celebrate their similarities: living on earth. For others, Earth Day is observed to promote the protection the natural environment from pollution and other destructive forces. Earth Day activities include planting trees, cleaning roadside rubbish and conducting recycling and conservation programs. Earth day was first observed in 1970.

Back Badge Day

Back Badge Day falls on March 21, which in some years is the time of the vernal equinox. It is celebrated by the British Army’s Gloucestershire Regiment, whose men wear a badge on the back as well as the front of their caps. They have done so since March 21, 1801, when the Battle of Alexandria was fought. The men were ordered to stand back to back, facing away from the charging French cavalry until the enemy were almost upon them. They then turned and fired, causing the French to retreat in disorder.

Other Observances

The Bahá’í New Year is also celebrated on March 21, which is the date of the vernal equinox in some years, such as 2003 and 2007. The Hindi Holi celebration, one of India’s major festivals, is also celebrated around this time of the year in 2008.

In the northern hemisphere the vernal equinox marks the start of spring and has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth. It is an ancient Chinese custom to balance eggs – a symbol of fertility – on the day of the vernal equinox to bring good luck and prosperity.

According to Jewish tradition, God made the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day of creation – and once every 28 years the sun returns to the same astronomical position that it held that day. The Talmud says that the turning point of this cycle occurs at the vernal equinox.

Spring-cleaning in many countries occurs around the time of the vernal equinox, or the beginning of spring. It is a time set aside for cleaning homes and storing or giving away old furniture or items that are no longer used. The term “spring-cleaning” relates to the act of thoroughly cleaning a place.

Timeanddate.com has tried to cover a range of events that occur around the vernal equinoxin 2008 but not every event or culture is included in this article.

****

So Happy Spring everyone! Today’s experiment is to GET OUT THERE and enjoy. Make today a celebration in any way you feel is appropriate.

And don’t forget to check out Freebie Force for tons of great free things!

There’s tons of other neat stuff on there too!!

By the way, you can now once again subscribe to my blog by email! Just look over at the top left-hand corner of this blog and you’ll see the subscribe box.

Blessings on all your hopes and dreams.

Holly

Like my blog? Want one of your own?

Heard of the Law of Attraction?

Follow the Law of Shopping! streap poker onlinegioco poker on line gratisgioco poker texasdownload giochi pokertexas holdem calculatempoker freewaregiocare a poker onlinepoker texano gratispoker 5 card drawtexas holdem gratiscarte pokerwww poker gratisgioco poker gratispoker slot gratisgioco streep pokergiochi internetstrategie texas holdempoker casino onlinedownload gioco pokergioco poker in italianogiochi di roulette,giochi flash roulette,giochi rouletteon line casinostrategie rouletteenquete casino on netrisposte eurobarre casino on neteuropa casino onlinevideo poker gamescasino bonus 10giocare roulette,giocare alla roulette,come giocare alla roulettegiocare gratis casinogiocare casino onlinecasino tropez bonus codegiochi da casino gratiscasino con bonus senza depositoi casino onlinegold casinogioco in lineasistemi gioco rouletteroulette on line gratisgiochi baccarataprire un casino onlinegiochi roulette gratisplay keno onlineonline casino games,casino games,casino flash gamesroulette casino,casino on line roulette,gran roulette casinogioco baccarat in lineacasino bonus gratistrucchi video pokeronline kenodownload video poker gratis,video poker gratis,video poker online gratis

---

Copyright © 2008 The Abundance Place. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@theabundanceplace.com so we can take legal action immediately.
Plugin by Taragana

Previous in series