Equinox day. Day of the vernal equinox - signs, ceremonies, rituals

The spring and autumn equinoxes are astronomical events in which day equals night and mark the change of seasons. We know that the spring and autumn equinoxes occur at the moment when our Sun, in its annual movement along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator. These points are respectively located in the constellations Pisces and Virgo. Day spring equinox- this is the beginning of astronomical spring.

On the days of the solstices, our daylight reaches the extreme points of its annual path across the sky - in summer it deviates 23.4 degrees north from the celestial equator, in winter - 23.4 degrees south. Therefore, in June, the Sun illuminates the northern hemisphere of the Earth more - and at the moment of solstice, summer begins here - and at the end of December - the southern hemisphere, and at this time winter begins here (and summer in the southern hemisphere).

Below you can see the exact dates of the spring and autumn equinoxes for the city of Moscow, just like the winter and summer solstices.

Equinox and solstice day in 2017 for Moscow

event	date/time
Spring equinox	March 20 at 13:28 Mon
Summer solstice	June 21 at 07:24 Wed
Autumn equinox	September 22 at 23:01 Fri
Winter solstice	December 21 at 19:27 Thu

These dates were among the most revered in the pre-Christian period. Solstice, rotation, equinox, solstice are the names of solar holidays, which are also called the four hypostases of the Slavic Dazhdbog, which is the Sun itself - the son of Svarog.

Kolyada - winter solstice (December 21-22);
- Maslenitsa or Komoeditsa - the day of the vernal equinox (March 21-22);
- Kupailo (Kupala) – summer solstice (June 21-22);
- Radogoshch (Svetovit, Veresen, Tausen) – autumn equinox (September 22-23);

Kolyada is the winter solstice or the longest night of the year. During this period, the young sun Kolyada replaces the old sun Svetovit in his post. That is why the daylight hours begin to increase from this day on. Replaced by the church on Christmas Day.

Maslenitsa or Komoeditsa - the day of the vernal equinox (day and night are equal in time), farewell to winter, burning of the effigy of Madder, welcoming spring and the Slavic New Year. The date March 21-22 is also the beginning of astronomical spring. From this day on, the day becomes longer than the night. Yarilo-Sun replaces Kolyada and drives away Winter-Madder. Traditionally, this bracelet was celebrated for two whole weeks.

Kupailo is the day of the summer solstice. The longest day and shortest night of the year. The last day of Rusal Week or Rusalia. Kupala is one of the ancient holidays, which has kept many traditions and customs unchanged to this day, for example: the funeral of Yarila, who is replaced by God summer sun Bathed, collected medicinal herbs, searched for fern flowers, etc. Kupailo is also a great holiday, which is now replaced by the church on the birthday of John the Baptist.

Radogoshch (Svetovit, Veresen, Tausen) - day autumn equinox(day and night are equal in time). On this day, the Sun-Old Man Svetovit comes into his own. The night is getting longer than a day. It is both a solar holiday and a celebration of the end of the harvest. Substituted for church at Christmas Holy Mother of God.

Equinox and solstice by year:

From ancient times to the present day, humanity has lived in harmony with the natural rhythms of nature. The vernal equinox is a significant date that repeats every year on the twentieth of March. Many natural processes and curious phenomena are associated with this day. The day of the vernal equinox is an important event, not only in the astronomical, but also in the astrological sense. On this day, winter begins to lose to spring, becoming a thing of the past.

The vernal equinox is a significant date that repeats every year on the twentieth of March. Many natural processes and curious phenomena are associated with this day.

In 2017, the spring equinox will occur on March 20 at 10.29 GMT (13.29 Moscow time). At this time, the center of the Sun crosses the celestial equator and moves from the southern hemisphere of the Earth to the northern. From this point until the summer solstice, the night becomes shorter than the day. The vernal equinox can be considered the “official” beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the southern.

Every year the equinox occurs at different times in different parts of the planet between March 19 and 21. This is due to two factors:

the duration of calendar years. In a normal year, the equinox occurs 5 hours 48 minutes later than in the previous year, and in a leap year - 18 hours 11 minutes earlier;
geographical location. The timing of the equinox varies for each time zone.

Spring equinox in astrology

There is a direct connection between the ratio of day and night and the seasons. When day is longer than night, the Sun warms the earth in one or another part of the planet more strongly. In the same part it warms up worse when the day is very short.

The fact is that the Earth is inclined in relation to the Sun, so when it moves around it, one certain place first turns towards the sun, and then hides, which is why the seasons change. Now the Earth is in an intermediate position, when the rays fall at a large, but not maximum, angle relative to the surface. On March 20, the Earth will reach a point in space when the strength of the Sun for the northern and southern hemispheres will be approximately the same.

Thus, the spring equinox is not a day in astronomical terms, but only a small moment that indicates that winter has come to an end. Since the Winter Solstice, the Earth has traveled exactly a quarter of the way around the Sun. Now the second quarter begins - the spring period. The day will now be longer than the night.

March 20 is the day of the equinox only conditionally. The transition from winter to spring by astronomical standards will occur at 13:28 minutes Moscow time. That is why on March 20, day and night will not be absolutely equal, but will be as close to each other as possible.

One of the features of the equinox in spring is its possible shift by one day. This does not mean that the Earth moves at different speeds - in fact, this event occurs every time at the same time interval, there is simply such a thing as a leap year. It happens that the spring equinox falls on March 21 or 19.

Spring equinox in astronomy

During the calendar year, the Earth passes four very important points around the Sun. The first is the summer solstice, the second is the autumn equinox, the third is the winter solstice, the fourth is the spring equinox.

During the vernal equinox, astronomical spring begins. The weather conditions may not be quite spring-like yet, but you can already say goodbye to winter.

History of the holiday

The Slavs had several great celebrations that were held throughout the year. The pagans celebrated one important holiday in the spring - Komoeditsa. Now this day is celebrated in our country as Maslenitsa, which is held within the framework of Orthodox principles and traditions.

The Christian Church thus united the spring folk rituals and celebrations with a great religious date, since Maslenitsa falls on the cheese (meat) week preceding Lent. During this week, the church allows you to eat eggs, cheese and other dairy products, and fish. Meat is under the strictest ban these days.

Let's return to Komoeditsa. This holiday, which the Slavs in Rus' celebrated in the spring, long before Christianity, fell exactly during Lent. Komoeditsa lasted for two whole weeks - a week before the spring equinox and a week after it.

The Komoeditsa holiday was dedicated to the active farewell of the already tired winter over the long cold months and the welcoming of a blooming, green spring. Also on Komoeditsa, the Slavs celebrated the beginning of the New Year.

The Komoeditsa holiday received its interesting name thanks to one important ancient Slavic tradition - the veneration of the Bear God, who was called Komo. Precisely on the day of the spring equinox, which falls in the middle of the Komoeditsa celebration, the pagan Slavs baked pancakes and “treated” the Honey Beast with fried and incredibly tasty pieces of sweet dough.

It is quite possible that the good old proverb “the first pancake is lumpy” actually sounds nothing more than: “The first pancake is lumpy!”, that is, to furry honey lovers, bears.

The custom of baking pancakes on Komoeditsa is due to the fact that the ruddy flat cakes, in appearance, shape, and scorching temperature, resemble the inaccessible sun, which is just beginning to come into full force on the day of the equinox.

With this tradition, the Slavs revered the power of the spring solar disk. While feasting on delicious pancakes, people believed that with every piece they ate they were filled with the life-giving power of sunlight.

Komoeditsa was celebrated widely and cheerfully: there were also rituals that combined incompatible things: religion and magic. Dances and songs on this day were interspersed with exciting noisy games, and a festive feast completed the picture of universal folk festival.

Traditions and rituals

As before, today this day is accompanied by various celebrations and customs. For example, today in some countries March 20th is celebrated New Year. These include: Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, that is, the countries of the Great Silk Road.

Also in many countries this day is magical, as it is the only day of the year when spring meets spring. Usually at this time they tell fortunes; in pagan culture they welcome spring by solemnly burning an effigy of winter.

For Germany and the Celts, this day was associated with the rebirth of spring and marked the beginning of the agricultural season. To especially welcome spring, housewives colored eggs and baked wheat buns. These customs are observed to please Ostara, the goddess of spring.

In Rus' this day was celebrated in a special way, and it was called Soroki. According to the ancient Slavs, it was at this time that many birds arrived, namely 40. The symbol of the holiday was the lark, since it was the first to return.

One of the customs was to bake cookies in the shape of a bird on this day. And the first person to see the lark was given cookies from the entire village. The rest of the delicacy was subsequently distributed to all the children in the village, so that they, in turn, would invite the larks, who, according to legend, would bring spring with them. The children took sticks, where they tied Martinichek dolls and cookies, ran to any peak and shouted at the top of their voices:

“Larks, come,

Take away the cold winter,

Bring warmth to spring:

We're tired of winter

She ate all our bread!”

The older ones screamed on the stonefly tops. If there was no hill in the village, then people went to the thawed patches and performed all the rituals there.

Fortune telling and conspiracies on the day of the spring equinox

Some girls and boys started fortune telling on this day after sunset. Some wanted to learn about marriage, some wanted to improve their appearance, and some simply wanted to find out what awaited them in the near future. So, when baking lark gingerbread, girls put it in raw dough small items. Each of them had his own prediction. For example:

ring - get ready for the wedding;

carnations - there will be a reason for sadness;

coin - you will live in abundance;

key - inheritance, profit, you will become the owner of a new home;

bead - the long-awaited pregnancy will soon come;

button - numerous updates are coming;

earring - for a meeting with your betrothed.

In the evening, everyone took turns taking one gingerbread and breaking it. The future was judged by the object found.

At sunrise or sunset on the Vernal Equinox, you can perform a ritual for well-being. To do this, you need to prepare two candles - white and black. They will symbolize light and darkness. Also prepare a pot of soil and seeds, previously soaked in water. Light the candles and place the pot and seeds next to you. Concentrate and begin to mentally tell the seeds what kind of life you want to have, what you want to change in your destiny. Visualize the image of your happy existence as clearly as possible. Then plant the seeds in the ground and water them with water. As the seeds sprout, your life will begin to change in the direction you want.

A unique meditation practice will help make your dreams come true. The lesson should be carried out completely alone, creating a cozy atmosphere in the room. Light a candle. Sit in a chair or lie down on the sofa. Close your eyes. For deep relaxation you can use breathing exercises. Start playing out situations in your imagination, taking into account the fact that your dream has already come true. For example, imagine how you live, what kind of car you have, what you wear, who you communicate with, what you eat, what establishments you visit, etc. You need to immerse yourself as deeply as possible into your inner world and become imbued with your desire. Now imagine that a large translucent golden ball has materialized in the air in front of you. Enter it and, by force of will, rush upward. Next, try to mentally dissolve in the Universe. After some time, you should feel a surge of strength. This means that positive cosmic energy has had a powerful effect on your subconscious. From this moment on, changes will gradually begin to occur in your life.

Congratulations

Winter has finally given up its throne

Young and blooming spring,

Soon we will hear the excitement of the crowns again

And we will love the warmth doubly!

Happy equinox day!

Smile at the cheerful rays

Make friends with the very first spring rain

And dream about a miracle at night!

Let the spring equinox, the day when the parity of light and darkness comes, be marked for you by the onset of peace of mind. Let winter leave the heart along with the arrival of the astronomical truth of spring. And let the singing of birds become a foretaste of joyful accomplishments and happiest events!

On the day of the vernal equinox

Both the earth and hearts are warming up.

Filled with love

And they call with them.

To a place where there is no sadness

Where the sun warms with its rays,

Let winter retreat

And let nature come to life!

Today the day is equal to the night -

The day of the equinox has arrived!

I want you to smile more often,

And more often he hugged me tightly,

I use it as an excuse

Congratulations to you once again!

After all, you are smart, handsome and young -

Everything I need now!

The equinox is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs twice a year - in spring and autumn. In both cases, the equinox is characterized by equal amounts of day and night. Since ancient times, the equinox has been considered a real holiday. In pagan times, Maslenitsa was timed to coincide with the equinox as a holiday of the Sun. There is also information that the spring equinox was the beginning of the New Year for the ancient Slavs.

Today, the equinox is hardly celebrated or celebrated. However, for many this event is considered very pleasant, since, starting from this day, the day becomes longer than the night. During the long winter, many are already tired of long nights, when they have to get up when it is still dark and come home from work when it is already dark. The lack of sunlight affects your emotional well-being, and when the day begins to noticeably gain momentum, it cannot but rejoice.

It is worth noting here that the day begins to increase from winter solstice, which occurs in December, but the night is still longer than the day. Over the course of several months, the day becomes longer and longer until it reaches the spring equinox, when it becomes equal to the night. After this, the day becomes longer and longer with each new day, and the night becomes shorter. This lasts until the summer solstice, which occurs in June. After the summer solstice, the nights become longer and longer until the autumn equinox.

When is the spring equinox in 2017?

If you are just wondering when the equinox will arrive this year to celebrate or just know that the day has become longer than the night, then you should know that the wait is very short. There is already a noticeable increase in the length of the day, and on March 20, 2017, day and night will be equal. Exact date astronomical equinox in 2017 - March 20.

Very soon an interesting and special day will come - the day of the vernal equinox and in 2017 it will be March 20 at 13:00. 28 min. Moscow time. Why is this day interesting? The fact that the length of the day will be equal to the night. But the peculiarity of the day of the spring equinox is not only this - it is considered mystical and has acquired a number of signs, customs, rites and rituals, so do not miss this date - March 20, 2017.

On the day of the vernal equinox, the Sun crosses the equator and moves from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern. And it is precisely for the Northern Hemisphere that this is the day of the vernal equinox - the astronomical beginning of the corresponding time of year - spring. And for the Southern Hemisphere, this is the day of the autumn equinox, which will be for the Northern Hemisphere in September. Read about the features of the Autumn Equinox Day.

What March is the vernal equinox day

Most often, the vernal equinox occurs on March 20, as in 2017 and its previous years, but due to leap years sometimes the date shifts and happens to be March 21, and sometimes March 19, but this happens quite rarely.

Holiday Spring Equinox

Spring - at all times and all peoples have treated and still treat this time of year as a time of rebirth, the beginning of a new life. From the day of the vernal equinox, the Slavs began to welcome spring and celebrated it as the holiday of Kamoeditsa. I have already told in the article how it was celebrated, why it became Maslenitsa and is celebrated at a different time, so if you are interested, read it.

Also in the old days it was believed that this was the day of the return of birds and in the villages they baked dough products in the shape of birds - larks.

Children put baked birds on poles and ran around the field shouting different words:

“You are larks, larks, come to us, bring us a red summer, a warm spring.”

“Larks, fly in, take away the cold winter, bring the warmth of spring: we are tired of winter, we have eaten all our bread!”

With this cheerful ritual they attracted birds, and with them spring.

Having run around, the children brought the larks home; they could be eaten, but they did not eat the heads of the birds; they were hung on tree branches or fed to livestock.

Larks were also used for fortune telling - housewives baked various small objects with a certain meaning in the birds, and if, for example, they got a lark with a coin, then this meant wealth, and if it had a ring, it meant marriage.

They also made martinichkas for this day - small ritual rag dolls that were worn on clothes and hung on trees.

Martiniques were made from threads white(the color of winter) and red (the color of summer) and connected them with a rope. These dolls symbolized the expectation and arrival of Spring, as well as respect for Winter, because without it the onset of Spring is impossible.

Another symbol of the Equinox Day was the egg, which symbolizes the rebirth of new life and fertility. The eggs were painted in the form of colored stripes, and the Sun and Earth were also drawn on them. The Slavs always celebrated this day cheerfully and various rituals performed during the holiday were aimed at the fertility of the earth and well-being.

Day of the vernal equinox signs and rituals

People have long endowed the day of the vernal equinox with special magical properties and many different signs, beliefs, rites and rituals are associated with this day.

On the Day of the Vernal Equinox there is another holiday - International Astrology Day and on this day a new astrological year begins and this also makes this date, March 20, quite significant and interesting.

This is a day of signs and symbols, so be aware of what is happening, it may be a useful clue for the future. It is worth paying close attention to what you dream that night; dreams are considered prophetic.
If you have talismans and amulets, then on this day you can charge them; psychics and clairvoyants always do this on March 20th.
It is believed that the day of the spring equinox changes a person’s energy, filling it with strength. Any message on March 20 has enormous power, so keep your words and thoughts under control, think about pleasant, positive, good things. But it’s better to get rid of bad thoughts, they can bring you trouble.
You can make wishes, there is a chance that they will come true. Spring is the time of sowing, so direct your thoughts to what you would like to realize, make plans, it is advisable to write them down, they say that at this time even what you think is impossible gets the right to life.
On the day of the spring equinox, you can get rid of the evil eye, curses, and remove all kinds of negative attitudes.
This day is considered a day of cleansing the soul and body, so it is very important to let go of all the bad things from the past, free yourself from grievances and fears.

Start by cleaning the premises - your home, your workplace, and while cleaning, imagine that you are getting rid of everything negative that is in your life. Then you need to ventilate well, you can spray the room with water and aromatic herbs from a spray bottle. After cleaning, take a shower; it’s very good to immediately perform some kind of ritual or meditation to fulfill your desires.

Now you can begin the cleansing ritual.

Take a blank piece of paper and write on it everything you would like to get rid of and burn it.
You can go further - for more deep cleansing. A week before the Spring Equinox, take a piece of paper and write on it the grievances and troubles that you have caused to someone and try to correct your mistakes before March 20, if possible. On the day of the spring equinox, make a list of what you managed to fix and burn it too.

These cleansing rituals will help you free yourself from the burden of grievances and regrets, receive forgiveness and free your energy from the negative, freeing up space for a good and bright future.

There is not much time left until March 20 - the Spring Equinox Day 2017, and even if you do not use the rituals of this day, remember that the most important thing is to live this day in good mood, with a good attitude and pure thoughts.

Live with love and be happy!

P.S. I forgot to say that there is folk sign- what the weather is like on the day of the spring equinox, it will be like this for 40 days in a row. I really want it to be warm on March 20th.

Watch the video to see how other nations celebrate the Vernal Equinox.

Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.

Spring equinox in 2017 falls on March 20th. At this time, people follow centuries-old traditions, which we will talk about in this article. You can also learn a lot of useful information about the history and customs of the spring equinox holiday.

Spring equinox

The equinox, which occurs in spring, is one of the most unique and stunning natural phenomena, the whole essence of which comes down to the astronomical principles of the movement of the Sun and Earth. On the day of the vernal equinox, rotating around its own axis and, at the same time, around the Sun, the Earth is located in such a way in relation to the hot body that the Sun’s rays fall vertically on the equator.

At this time, the Sun makes a transition from the southern to the northern hemisphere. In all countries of the world, night during the spring equinox is almost equal to day.

From an astronomical point of view, spring begins with the vernal equinox, and autumn begins with the autumn equinox. The interval between two identical equinoxes is called the tropical year, which is now accepted for calculating time.

The tropical year has approximately 365 whole and 24 hundredths solar days. It is because of this “approximate” value that the spring equinox falls at a different time of day every year, shifting about 6 hours ahead from year to year.

It is noteworthy that in many states, among many peoples around the world, it begins specifically with the spring equinox.

Light and darkness share their time equally on this amazing day. Even in ancient times, when there were no calendars, the sun determined the dawn of a charming spring, awakening nature and the whole world from its long winter sleep. Many ancient peoples considered the day when sunlight and pitch darkness divided the day in half as a great holiday and honored the date of the spring equinox.

History of the holiday

The Slavs had several great celebrations that were held throughout the year. One thing the pagans celebrated in the spring is Komoeditsa. Now this day is celebrated in our country as Maslenitsa, which is held within the framework of Orthodox principles and traditions.

The Christian Church thus combined spring folk rituals and celebrations with a great religious date, since Maslenitsa falls on the cheese (meat) week preceding Lent. During this week, the church allows you to eat eggs, cheese and other dairy products, and fish. Meat is under the strictest ban these days.

It is quite possible that the good old proverb “the first pancake is lumpy” actually sounds nothing more than: “The first pancake is lumpy!”, that is, to furry honey lovers, bears.

Spring equinox holiday in different countries

The spring holiday - the equinox - was and is honored in many cultures of our vast world. Not only the Slavs performed various magical and religious rituals, giving praise to the Sun and spring, many other peoples also have their own history of celebrating this holiday. We will tell you about the most striking traditions.

Spring equinox in India

In India, this holiday is called “Holi”; it is known worldwide as the “festival of colors”. Indians spend the first day of the bright March festival having fun, singing songs, dancing, and making bonfires.

On the second day of the festival, representatives of all castes and all classes, women and men, old people and children - all participate in a festive procession, where they sprinkle each other with colorful multi-colored powders, which consist of useful spices and medicinal herbs.

Spring equinox in Japan

In Japan, this important holiday is called “Shumbun no Hi” and the Japanese attach special meaning to it. Even before the start of the equinox, they diligently clean their homes, paying special attention to home altars, where photographs of deceased relatives are located. It is customary to decorate altars with flowers and place special ritual dishes there.

On the day of the holiday itself, the Japanese pray and indulge in ritual honors. The table at Shumbun no Hi should feature predominantly vegetarian food, including inari sushi filled with mixed rice, mushrooms, carrots and beans.

In almost all cultures, the spring equinox symbolizes the renewal and rebirth of nature. On this day you need to think only about good things, enjoy spring, sun rays, joyful singing of birds.

It is better to keep all negativity away from yourself and your loved ones on the day of the equinox. Astrologers believe that unfavorable energy and negative thoughts may materialize on this special day.