\nmeans "equal night." Because the sun is positioned above the equator,
\nday and night are about equal in length all over the world during the
\nequinoxes.<\/p>\n
From a technical standpoint the Vernal Equinox is an astronomical
\nevent, it\u2019s one of the four quadrature days of the Earth\u2019s orbit.
\nHowever for people both modern and ancient, the Vernal Equinox marked
\nthe transition from winter into spring. The Vernal Equinox occurs on
\nMarch 20th or 21st and is one of two days during the year when there
\nare 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, the other day is the
\nAutumnal Equinox.<\/p>\n
People have been marking and celebrating the
\nVernal Equinox for thousands of years. The Great Sphinx which was
\nconstructed over 4500 years ago on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, faces due
\neast on the Vernal Equinox. The monoliths located at Stonehenge, which
\nare estimated to be over 3000 years old, mark the position of the
\nrising sun on the Vernal Equinox. In Central America the Ancient Mayan
\nCaracol Tower and Temples of the Sun and Moon also have alignments that
\ncoincide with the sun\u2019s position on the Vernal Equinox.<\/p>\n
Most
\nhistorians believe that this knowledge was important to ancient
\ncultures in choosing a time to plant their crops. In Iran they
\ncelebrate Norouz (which roughly translates to \u201cnew day\u201d) on the Vernal
\nEquinox. In China they celebrate Chunfen on the Vernal Equinox. In
\nancient Europe they celebrated the arrival of the goddess of spring
\nOstara on this day. Ostara was also known as Ostera and Eostre in
\ndifferent parts of Europe. Many historians believe the Christian
\nholiday Easter gets its name from Eostre, as she had an enchanted
\nrabbit that could lay eggs. In more modern times the Vernal Equinox
\nmarked the first Earth Day celebration in 1971.<\/p>\n
One of the odd
\ntraditions that that occur on the Vernal Equinox is egg balancing. The
\nstory goes that it is possible to balance a raw egg on its oblong end
\non this day. There is no truth to this rumor it\u2019s just as easy (or
\nhard) to balance an egg on its end on this day as it is any other day.
\nThis story is perpetuated by the media who usually run a small segment
\non it, during news shows on this day.<\/p>\n
Media hype or not, as a kid I thought the balancing of eggs on the Equinox was great and magickal fun! I still do it, I did it this morning, as I sat here at my desk at work, with the folks around me asking why I was playing with my breakfast. Its a tradition now, that brings me back to simpler times, when one the actions of one little egg could keep me fascinated for days. <\/p>\n
Hope you all get to go out and do something special today, to mark the beginning of the season of light! <\/p>\n
Light and Love<\/p>\n
Sister Bridget<\/p>\n