Pearl Celebrates the Spring Equinox
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Each year, sometime between March 19th and March 21st, the Spring Equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2026, the spring equinox happens to fall on March 20th at 10:46am eastern standard time. In preparation for this event, Pearl learned all she could about the equinox. Follow along with her to learn the science behind the event, it's history, and how people celebrate the spring equinox today.
To start, Pearl noticed that the spring equinox goes by many names; March equinox, vernal equinox, or northward equinox. For the purposes of this blog post, Pearl will be referring to it as the spring equinox. Now that she has cleared that up, Pearl was ready to learn about the science behind the equinox.
The spring equinox is an astronomical event where the Sun crosses the celestial equator, creating nearly equal lengths of day and night. This moment marks the official beginning of astronomical spring, signaling a period of warming weather, rejuvenation, and new beginnings. The word equinox comes from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night).
Earth's tilt on its axis of 23.5 degrees is what causes this northward shift of the sun’s path across the sky at this time of year. Earth’s tilt is now bringing spring and summer to the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the spring equinox marks the beginning of autumn and a shift toward winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
During the spring equinox, animals wake from hibernation, begin breeding, and migrate due to increased daylight and warmer temperatures. Key activities include birdsong peaking, insects like bees emerging, and the birth of young mammals such as rabbits, lambs, and deer, signaling a season of renewal.
Now that Pearl has a strong grasp of the science behind the equinox, it is time to learn about the history of its honoring. Ancient cultures all over the world have celebrated the spring equinox. Pearl could spend hours researching and writing about different cultures equinox celebrations but here she will be highlighting a few.
England: Located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic structure build by groups of ancient Britons, primarily Neolithic farmers and Bronze Age people, over thousands of years, with construction starting around 3000 BCE. They built it as a sacred ceremonial site, likely for ancestor worship, burial, and astronomical alignment with the solstices. Sophisticated techniques were used to move massive stones from Wales and local quarries for a monument that evolved into a powerful symbol of unity and the cosmos.
Nowadays, Stonehenge is a popular tourist attraction that is open daily to the public. Four times a year, the site welcomes thousands of people to celebrate the summer and winter solstice's and spring and fall equinox's. These events are highly important to the Druids that helped build Stonehenge. The balance of day and night marked a significant event of new beginnings for the Druids.
Maya Civilization: The spring equinox marks a sacred time of balance, signaling the start of the agricultural planting season. The Maya civilization is known for having skilled astronomers that held a deep understanding of the sun and astronomical events.
Chichén Itzá is a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic
period, located on what we now know as Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. At this site each year during the spring equinox, the setting sun creates a diamond-backed snake shadow descending the El Castillo pyramid, symbolizing the god Kukulkan's return to earth.
Ancient Rome: In ancient Rome, the spring equinox was a period of intense religious activity marking the rebirth of nature, featuring the Hilaria festival to honor the goddess Cybele and her resurrected son, Attis. It was a time of joy, masquerades, and, in earlier times, the start of the new year. As the culmination of a multi day ritual it featured processions, masquerades, and general mirth, celebrating the resurrection of vegetation.
Lastly, Pearl is diving in to how the spring equinox is seen today. In the modern world, the spring equinox can be celebrated several ways. Bringing seasonal awareness and ancient traditions into your own life does not require elaborate rituals.
Plant seeds and begin new projects; the spring equinox is a time of fertility and growth, making it a great time to plant seeds (literally and figuratively).Craft and create; spring is a time of fertility and life - so use this energy to create something with your hands. Light a fire or candle; fire has long been used in seasonal celebrations to celebrate the sun’s light and warmth. Prepare a seasonal meal; eating seasonally and locally helps one to reconnect with nature. Spend time in nature; the most simple and accessible way to connect with the landscape is to go out into it. Pearl suggests that you find your local river and sit on its banks or take a walk through your watershed, taking it all that it has to offer.
Pearl encourages you all to embrace the new beginnings that this season will bring.
Happy equinox!
