Vernal Equinox Half & Half Musings

Today is the Vernal Equinox, one of two days a year when the center of the Sun lines up over the celestial equator, causing day and night to be of roughly equal durations. For those of us in the northern climes, it also marks a significant transition in the gradual move from majority darkness to majority daylight. Finally. Spring is on its way.

Something silly that people like to do on the equinox is balance eggs on their ends. This practice, however, according to Snopes, is based on a myth. Eggs will balance on their ends any day of the year, if you try hard enough; but it's only on the equinoxes that people actually do it.

The equinoxes have historically been celebrated by cultures throughout the world. Today, President Obama addressed the Iranian people by wishing them a happy Nowruz, which is their New Year as well as an equinox holiday. I have to admit, I'd never heard of Nowruz before this morning. So I hope Obama's goodwill message taught Americans a thing or two as well.

America often feels somewhat devoid of nature-oriented holidays. What we do have is usually an ancient kernel of paganism disguised and watered down via Christianity... Easter eggs, for example. Or trees at Christmastime. But I dig the idea of bringing those old holidays back as themselves, for their own sakes. Celebrate Easter, if you want, but celebrate the equinox too -- because heavenly bodies are in motion. And that's freaking cool.

As it is, I didn't plan anything special (though we have done winter solstice parties before), but my husband found his old George Winston Winter into Spring album, so we've been drifting in and out of that all evening. Really, the perfect thing.