When day equals night. Spring and autumn equinoxes When day and night are equal

After a long winter, we all look forward to the arrival of spring. In March, buds appear on trees, nature comes to life after a long sleep, birds sing and the sun shines. Loved by many holiday Spring Equinox Day - what date will it be in 2020 and how is it celebrated? Read the details in this article.

What happens on this day?

First of all, let's figure out what the spring equinox is. In fact, the answer lies in the name of the Equinox: day is equal to night, that is, the duration of daylight and darkness is the same.

There is a spring equinox, which is celebrated in March, and autumn - in September. Some also talk about the spring solstice, but this is wrong. After all, they are only in summer and winter - in June and December.

The date of the holiday in different years falls on different days: March 19, 20 or 21. The exact date depends on the year, it's all about the calendar shift due to leap years.

In 2020, the spring equinox will occur on March 20 at 06:50 am Moscow time. If you live in another region, you can calculate the time yourself, knowing Moscow.

After this day, the length of daylight hours begins to increase, and the day becomes longer than the night.

Watch the video, which reveals the astronomical essence of the equinox phenomenon:

On March 21, the Sun moves from the zodiac sign Pisces to the sign of Aries, and the astrological spring begins (the period of the signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini).

Since the sign Aries is associated with new business, initiative, it is good to start implementing new projects, implementing ideas and plans at this time. Nature is reviving, so the activity of man in the world should also be reborn.

Table of vernal equinoxes until 2025

Year	Date and exact time in Moscow
2019	March 21 00:58
2020	March 20 06:50
2021	March 20 12:37
2022	March 20 18:33
2023	21 March 00:24
2024	March 20 06:06
2025	March 20 12:01

Ritual for the fulfillment of a wish

The spring solstice is a time of miracles and mysticism, when the Wheel of Fate can be turned in the right direction. Traditionally, various ceremonies were performed on this day. Today I will bring a spring ritual for the fulfillment of a wish.

Important conditions: the desire should concern you personally and it should not be associated with harm to other people.

Choose a quiet place and ask them not to disturb you for half an hour. Prepare a white candle.

Light a candle.
Take a comfortable position with a straight back, for example, sit in a Turkish position.
Place the candle so that it is convenient to look at it.
Relax. Close your eyes. Breathe evenly and slowly.
Imagine that your wish has already come true. For example, if you want to buy a new car, then imagine yourself driving, as if you were driving around the city in a brand new car. Mentally look at the registration certificate that you just received.
Be sure to experience the emotions that a fulfilled desire will give you - delight, joy, satisfaction.
Now place the image of the fulfilled wish in the pink sphere.
The sphere rises up and flies into the sky, higher and higher.
You let go of your desire, thus leaving a request to the Universe for its fulfillment.

Try to forget about your desire for a while. Then it will certainly come true.

Folk signs of the holiday

Among the people, from generation to generation, signs on the Day of the vernal equinox are passed on.

What will be the thoughts and desires, this will be the whole year. The fact is that on March 21, an energy template is laid for the next months of the year. Therefore, thoughts must necessarily be positive, and wishes to other people only bright and kind. It is impossible to wish bad even to enemies.
The more fun to celebrate this day, the more fun the year will be.
Our ancestors on this day looked for spring thawed patches and counted them. If you find 40 pieces, then spring will bring good luck.
If the day turned out to be frosty, then another 40 days of frost are expected. And if the day is warm, then there will be no night frosts.

Spring equinox festival in different nations

The spring equinox is celebrated all over the world. Different peoples meet spring in different ways, but they all have common features - each person rejoices at the reborn Sun and is waiting for a warm welcome.

Feast of the Slavs

The holiday of the spring equinox among the Slavs was called Magpies or Larks. The first name comes from the Forty Sebastian Martyrs - Christian soldiers who refused to make sacrifices to pagan gods, because they deeply believed in Christ.

However, even in the pre-Christian era, the spring equinox was celebrated on a grand scale. It was believed that on this day there is a balance between light and darkness. The sun wakes up to give people warmth and harvest.

The Slavs called the Day of the vernal equinox - Larks. According to popular beliefs, migratory larks return to their homeland on this day, followed by other migratory birds.

Before this day, any agricultural work was prohibited, since the land was still in hibernation. Now she has begun awakening.

For the holiday, the housewives made ceremonial pastries from unleavened dough in the form of larks. Birds were often baked with spread wings and tufts. But each hostess, of course, had her own recipe.

Baked larks were given to children. They ran with them to the street, threw them up, imitating the arrival of birds. Sometimes children put the birds on a stick to raise them even higher to the sun. These ritual actions were accompanied by the calls of spring, the children shouted out special chants - the clicks of spring.

After the game, the larks were eaten, but the heads of the birds were not eaten. They were usually given to livestock.

Divination was also common. For example, the hostess baked birds, one for each family member. One had a coin inside. Whoever gets a bird with a coin will be happy all year.

Spring Larks Baking Recipes

How to cook larks for the Spring Equinox? Watch the video recipe:

And here is another recipe - simpler, from yeast-free dough:

Celtic festival Ostara

The holiday, named after the goddess of fertility of the earth named Ostare, is celebrated on the Day of the spring equinox. From that day on, the ancient Celts opened the agricultural season.

The goddess Ostare is one of the most "ancient" goddesses, known from the second millennium BC. It is also associated with the awakening of nature, with the first herbs and flowers.

On this day, the ancient Germans performed rituals for the fertility of fields and trees in the coming season. It was customary to cleanse people of the filth accumulated over the winter.

Popular on this holiday were:

Dousing with water;
Fumigation with smoke;
Jumping over the fire;
Descent of fiery wheels from the mountain;
Throwing fire arrows.

After the advent of Christianity, the pagan Spring Equinox merged with the Christian Annunciation.

There are two main symbols of the goddess Ostare. The first of these is the moon hare or rabbit. He symbolized fertility (everyone knows how rabbits breed) and personified rebirth.

According to legend, the goddess Ostare saw a wounded bird in the snow. He took pity on the bird and, wanting to save it from death, turned it into a hare. In its new form, the bird still laid eggs. Therefore, the egg was considered the second symbol of the holiday - a symbol of the Sun and the rebirth of nature.

Eggs were painted with protective symbols, as well as signs of peace, wealth, fertility, etc. on them. The rite is similar to the painting of Easter eggs familiar to us today.

Higan in Japan

The spring equinox in Japan is associated with a Buddhist holiday called Higan. It is a public holiday and a day off for the Japanese.

However, the celebrations last for a whole week: they begin 3 days before the equinox and end 3 days after it ends. The exact date of the equinox is calculated every year at the National Observatory.

The name "khigan" is translated as "that shore" or "the world where the souls of ancestors settled." Accordingly, this is a holiday of veneration of ancestors.

Before the holiday, the Japanese carefully clean their houses and put things in order. They clean the home altar with photographs of ancestors and their personal belongings, put fresh flowers and ritual food.

During the festive week, people in Japan go to the graves of deceased relatives. All ritual foods are vegetarian. This is a tribute to the Buddhist tradition not to kill any living beings and not to eat meat. The basis of the menu are rice, vegetables, beans, root vegetables and vegetable broths.

On holidays, the Japanese visit Buddhist temples, order prayers and pay ritual honors to departed ancestors.

Soon after Higan comes the cherry blossom season, which symbolizes the real rebirth of nature. All the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun go to admire the beautiful and short-term phenomenon.

Turkic Novruz

The traditional holiday Novruz or Nauryz is celebrated by the Turkic and Iranian peoples, it is one of the most ancient holidays in the history of mankind. Not related to Islam, originated in Zoroastrianism and is associated with the astronomical phenomenon of the spring equinox. It is considered the true beginning of the New Year.

Nowruz is currently celebrated on March 21 in Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries. In Russia, this holiday is celebrated in Bashkortostan, Tatarstan and Dagestan.

Preparations for Novruz begin well in advance. Be sure to clean the house, pay off debts, ask for forgiveness for the wrongs caused. Prepare a variety of traditional dishes. Definitely lots of sweets. It is believed that the richer the table, the happier the year will pass.

Germinated wheat greens are often put on the table, which symbolizes the rebirth of nature.

There is a tradition to arrange a fiery festival for Novruz. For example, they make a fire, dance round dances around it. And then they jump over the fire. It is believed that this allows you to cleanse yourself of all ailments and problems.

Thus, the date of the spring equinox is very important in the history and culture of different peoples of the world. Everyone on this day welcomes spring, the reborn sun and hopes for a rich harvest.

The day of the vernal equinox (Spring equinox) is one of the most unique phenomena of nature, the essence of which, in scientific terms, is that “at the moment of the equinox, the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator.”

On this day, the Earth, rotating around its imaginary axis passing through the poles, while simultaneously moving around the Sun, is in such a position relative to the star that the sun's rays, carrying thermal energy, fall vertically on the equator. The sun moves from the southern hemisphere to the northern, and these days in all countries the day is almost equal to the night.

There are spring and autumn equinoxes. UTC (in other time zones, these dates may differ by a day) in the northern hemisphere spring equinox occurs 20th of March when the sun moves from the southern hemisphere to the northern autumn equinox occurs September 22 or 23(in 2019 - September 23)when the Sun moves from the northern hemisphere to the southern. In the southern hemisphere, on the contrary, the March equinox is considered autumn, and the September equinox is considered spring.

The spring and autumn equinoxes are considered the astronomical beginning of the respective seasons. The period of time between two equinoxes of the same name is called the tropical year. This year is today adopted for measuring time. There are approximately 365.2422 solar days in a tropical year. Because of this, the “approximately” equinox falls at different times of the day every year, moving forward by about 6 hours each year.

On the Day of the Spring Equinox, many peoples and nationalities of the Earth begin the New Year: Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan - almost all countries of the Great Silk Road associate the beginning of the new year with this natural phenomenon.

The ancient scientists of China, India, and Egypt knew very well about the days of the vernal equinox. In ancient times, the spring equinox was considered a great holiday.

In religion in ancient times, the day of the vernal equinox was also of no small importance. The date of the Easter holiday, which is celebrated every year at different times, was counted from the day of the vernal equinox as follows: March 21 - the first full moon - the first Sunday, which was considered a holiday.

Many peoples have kept the spring equinox as a holiday in the calendar. For example, in Farsi it is called , which means "new day". Rooted in the traditions of the ancient farmers of the Middle East and Central Asia, the holiday has become an integral part of the culture of many peoples who profess Islam.

In the CIS, the equinox day is celebrated as a national holiday by Tatars, Kazakhs, Bashkirs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Uzbeks and many other nations. In a number of countries, Navruz is declared a public holiday, and March 21 is a day off.

On this day, light and darkness are divided equally. In ancient times, when there were no calendars, spring was determined by the sun. It was believed that it was from this day that updates in nature begin: the first spring thunder, the swelling of buds on trees, the violent germination of greenery.

The day of the spring equinox was especially revered in the pagan faith. It was believed that on this day, in the annual cycle, Spring, personifying the revival and rebirth of nature, replaces Winter.

When the sun moves from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, the autumn equinox occurs.

Speaking of equinox dates, one should distinguish between a date according to universal time and a date for a specific time zone:

if the equinox occurred before 12:00 UT, in some countries located west of the zero meridian, this day may not yet come and, according to local time, the equinox will be considered 1 day earlier;

if the equinox came later than 12:00 UTC, then in some countries located east of the zero meridian, the next day may already come and the date of the equinox will be 1 more.

As conceived by the creators of the Gregorian calendar, the "official" date of the vernal equinox is March 21 (literally "12th day before the April kalends") because such a date of the vernal equinox was at the time of the Council of Nicaea.

The last time in this century the vernal equinox fell on March 21 in 2007 and will fall on March 20 or even March 19 in the 21st century.

The equinox, that is, the time when the length of day and night are equal, occurs twice a year - in spring and autumn. The change of times in the modern world is determined by the calendar, and in ancient times these days were considered the change of seasons.

Scientists consider the spring equinox to be the astronomical beginning of spring, which lasts three months, until the summer solstice - in 2019 it falls on June 21.

Therefore, since ancient times, people considered the day of the vernal equinox a long-awaited and mystical event.

When day equals night

The spring equinox is when the sun moves from the southern hemisphere of the celestial sphere to the northern. The Earth at this time, moving along its orbit, will overcome a quarter of a year's path. The equal duration of daylight and darkness is explained by the fact that the two hemispheres will be exactly half illuminated by the luminary.

The seasons of the hemispheres change from the day of the spring equinox. Since that time, astronomical spring has come in the northern hemisphere of the Earth, and astronomical autumn in the southern hemisphere. And so it goes until the summer solstice.

Six months later, when the Sun, continuing its movement, moves from the southern hemisphere to the northern, the equinox will again come, but the Sun at this time is on the opposite side of the orbit.

March 21 is historically considered the date of the spring equinox. At the First Ecumenical Council in 325, it was on this day that a general rule was adopted to determine the day for celebrating Easter.

According to the rule, Christians celebrate the Bright Resurrection of Christ on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, but not earlier than the spring day of the equinox.

The spring equinox falls on different dates every year, since it does not have a fixed day and hour and shifts by almost six hours every year. Due to the fact that the astronomical year differs from the calendar year, the spring equinox can fall from March 19 to March 21.

In leap years, the earliest dates of the equinoxes are observed, and the latest in the years that precede the leap years. In a leap year, the time is adjusted and the equinox returns to its original date.

Traditions and customs

For many peoples of the world, the spring equinox since ancient times was considered a great holiday - magical and ritual. Spring festivals in ancient and medieval times were celebrated with gaiety and rituals that called for the fertility of the land and the well-being of the people.

The Great Sphinx was erected by the ancient Egyptians so that during the spring equinox it pointed directly to the rising sun.

Many nations have kept this holiday in their calendar to this day. The Navruz holiday, which in Farsi means "new day", has its roots in the tradition of the ancient farmers of Central Asia and the Middle East.

For many peoples who profess Islam, the holiday has become an integral part of their culture - the day of the equinox is celebrated as a national holiday by the Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Tajiks, Tatars, Uzbeks, Bashkirs and many others.

On the day of the spring equinox, the New Year is celebrated in many eastern countries, including Afghanistan and Iran.

Among the Germans and Celts, the vernal equinox was associated with the rebirth of spring and indicated the beginning of the agricultural season. Mistresses, in order to please the goddess Ostara (one of the most "old" goddesses, who was worshiped at the end of the 2nd millennium BC) and celebrate spring in a special way, dyed eggs and baked wheat buns.

The Slavic holiday komoeditsa-shrovetide is also timed to coincide with the spring equinox - on this day people saw off the winter and met the spring, embodying the rebirth of nature. In the old days, people believed that the more fun the holiday was, the nature would be more generous to them.

The day of the vernal equinox in Russia was called "Magpies" since at that time many birds flew in, namely 40, and the lark, which returned first, was considered a symbol of the holiday.

On this day, according to an old custom, they baked cookies in the form of a bird and gave them from the whole village to the one who first saw the lark. Then the remaining sweets were handed out to the children so that they would invite the larks in their turn, which, according to legend, will bring spring with them.

In many countries, this day is magical, as it is the only time of the year when spring meets spring. Usually, at this time, they tell fortunes and solemnly burn an effigy of winter, meeting the long-awaited spring.

Signs

On the day of the spring equinox, according to signs, they monitor the weather, and if it is warm on this day, then there will be no cold and frost until the summer.

The day of the spring equinox is best spent with family or with a loved one - on this day you can not quarrel, get upset, sort things out with loved ones.

In order to spend the whole next year without worries and not think about the bad, the day of spring balance must be met cheerfully. People believe that the wish made on this day will surely come true.

On the day of the vernal equinox, they tell fortunes about love - they guess on Tarot cards, classic cards, runes, oracles. And in order to get an accurate answer, at the moment of divination, you should concentrate and ask a specific question.

Since the holiday was preceded by Maslenitsa (in 2017 from February 20 to February 26 inclusive), many girls use similar fortune-telling. So, for example, pancakes were also baked on that day, and if the first pancake was not lumpy, then they believed that they would get married this year.

On the spring equinox, the girls guessed at the gender of the first child, for this they watched who would take the first pancake from the festive table. If a man, then they were expecting a boy, and if a woman, a girl.

People considered dreams for the spring equinox to be prophetic, so the girls guessed at their husband before going to bed. To do this, two aces were placed under the pillow - spades and tambourines, as well as a ten of clubs, a ring, a key and a piece of pie, after wrapping all the items in a white scarf.

The future was already judged in the morning, depending on what was dreamed of: a ring for an imminent wedding, a key or bread - for success in work, a pie - for good luck and joy, a card of spades - for trouble, a tambourine card - for wealth, club - to move.

The spring equinox is a magical period, a time for the manifestation of feelings, and if you have long wanted to confess your feelings to your loved one, you need to do it on this day.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

This year, March 20 is the vernal equinox. At 13:29 Moscow time, the Sun crosses the celestial equator in its apparent movement along the ecliptic. The duration of day and night is the same on the whole Earth and equals 12 hours. The celestial equator is a projection of the earth's equator onto the sphere of fixed stars infinitely distant from us.

The sun does not move along the celestial equator, otherwise the day would be equal to the night every day, - says Alexander Bagrov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - No, the Sun moves along the ecliptic, slightly tilted. When the sun rises above the ecliptic, we have a long day. When it gets lower, the nights are long. And only at the moment when the Sun passes through the celestial equator, the day is equal to the night. Therefore, the event is called the equinox, in contrast to the summer and winter solstices.

During the last two events, as the astronomer explains, the Sun is as far as possible from the celestial equator. And then it turns out the longest day of the year - in summer. Or the longest night is in winter.

Since ancient times, the spring equinox symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle in nature. And yet - new beginnings in people's lives. From the point of view of astrology, for example, the date of the vernal equinox is the day when the Sun enters 0 degrees Aries. This point is the beginning of the Zodiac. Once upon a time, the Sun on the day of the vernal equinox really rose against the background of the constellation Aries, but over time, the equinox point has shifted, and now it is actually in the constellation Pisces. Since the signs of the Zodiac are not associated with the constellations, although they bear their names, the first sign of the Zodiac, as before, is called Aries.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring, and has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth, says Boris Manevich, candidate of historical sciences, lecturer at Moscow State University. - This is a day of balance of day and night, light and darkness. In many cultures and religions, various holidays were dated for the day of the vernal equinox. On this day, it was customary to perform all sorts of magical rituals. For example, after a number of preparations, plant seeds in a pot and make a wish. Then the seeds had to be carefully and long looked after so that they would germinate and bear fruit. It was believed that with the appearance of fruits, wishes come true.

Magic is a product of human consciousness. Simply put - fiction, - skeptical astronomer Alexander Bagrov. - It must be understood that since ancient times people have been engaged in agriculture or hunting. Both were closely related to the seasons. Either the flight of birds begins, then it's time to plow the land - in general, time had to be counted somehow. Observations helped in this countdown. For example, on March 20, the day is equal to the night. Aha, there is a point of reference! From now on, the day will be longer than the night, you need to get the plow, and after plowing, sow.

As the scientist explained, science even now, unfortunately, does not know everything. And in ancient times knew even less. Therefore, people built all sorts of guesses, reinforced them with rituals, which filled the void of scientific knowledge.

Easily explainable now events - for example, the same spring equinox - were given a certain magical meaning, people believed their own inventions, - Bagrov explained. But we can't repeat their mistakes.

Equinox is the time when day equals night. At the moment when the Sun crosses the equator from south to north - this is the day of the spring equinox, and from north to south - the autumn. At this time, the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator. The word comes from the Latin equi or equal and the Greek nyx or Latin nox meaning equal night.

Equinoxes and solstices

The equinoxes occur at the intersection of the ecliptic and the celestial equator. On September 23, the Sun moves down from the celestial equator and crosses it - the autumn equinox, and on March 21, when it moves up - the spring equinox. On these days, the Earth's axis is not tilted towards the Sun or far from it, and therefore the circle of illumination cuts all latitudes in half, which leads to the same length of this day on the entire Earth.

In both cases, the solar circle of illumination conditionally bisects the equator. The equator is an imaginary line with a latitude of 0 degrees that divides the planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. This is the only place on earth where day equals night always, every day of the year.

The Earth is tilted, the maximum angular deviation to the Sun is 23.5 degrees. June 21 with a positive deviation of the Sun relative to the celestial equator is called the summer solstice, and December 21 with a negative deviation is the winter solstice.

Simply put, the equinox represents the days when the day equals the night (March 21 and September 23), the solstice is the shortest (December 21) and the longest day (June 21).

The equinoxes, together with the solstices, are directly related to the seasons of the year.

Equinox - the name is deceptive

If the Earth's axis were perpendicular to its orbital plane, the entire Earth would have equal lengths of day and night. A real sunny day has a different duration, with fluctuations of up to 15 minutes.

There are three reasons for this temporary difference:

The motion of the Earth around the Sun is not a perfect circle, but eccentric.
The apparent motion of the Sun is not parallel to the celestial equator.
The phenomenon of precession of the Earth's axis.

In addition, the Earth performs two different types of motion:

around the Sun in a fixed orbit, a journey that takes exactly 365.26 days (a year);
around its axis - forming day and night.

To complete one daily rotation, it takes not exactly 24 hours, as we used to think, but 23.93 hours.

The earth is spherical, so the half facing the sun is illuminated, while the other half is night. The day/night cycle is continuous, except at the Earth's poles, where day and night are said to last for six months.

In fact, they are not, they are not equal. Just as the conventional wisdom about the equator, where day and night equals year round, is wrong, then at the equator one would expect the Sun to rise at 6:00 am and set at 6:00 pm. In fact, it rises at the equator at 6:03 am in July, 6:11 am in February, 5:53 am in May, and 5:40 am at the end of October.

This phenomenon of actual "non-equinox" is caused by the fact that the Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.4 degrees. The phenomenon of refraction also influences the "inequality" of day and night. Refraction is the refraction of sunlight through the atmosphere, which visually lengthens the day. Because of this phenomenon, the upper edge of the Sun can be seen even if it is just below the horizon. For example, it is usually visible in the morning a few minutes before the actual sunrise. This phenomenon is influenced by atmospheric pressure and temperature.

Therefore, the real duration of the "day" for the North Pole reaches 193 days, and the night - up to 172 days and, accordingly, for the South Pole - 172 days the day lasts and 193 days the night.

Earth precession motion

Due to the very slow movement of the firmament (in fact, the earth's axis moves), the equinoctial Sun, when day equals night, moves from one sign of the zodiac to another approximately every 2160 years, completing the entire revolution in about 25.920 years. This very slow movement of the firmament is called the precession of the equinoxes. The precession of the equinoxes is the movement of the Earth, which leads to a change in the orientation of the rotation of the axis.

The first estimate of the earth's precession was made by Hipparchus in 130 BC. e.

The Earth's axis precesses due to the superimposition of such factors:

Its shape is not perfectly spherical (it is an oblate spheroid projecting at the equator).
The gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun, acting on the equatorial ledge, are trying to return it to the plane of the ecliptic.

Consequences of precession:

displacement of the equinoxes;
movement of the celestial poles;
displacement of astrological zodiac constellations.

The diurnal and nocturnal equinoxes do not have the same length, their date varies depending on the latitude.

The forces of nature are harmonious and consistent. The ancient peoples were very attentive to the seasons and the position of the Sun in the sky, because their life depended on timely planting and harvesting.

Our ancestors have long celebrated as special holidays the days of the solstice and equinox, when the day is equal to the night. Many great Orthodox holidays are now in close proximity to these dates: Christmas (winter solstice) and Easter (spring equinox).