March Equinox Welcomes Spring

March equinox is upon us! March 20th marks the changing of the seasons for many around the world. At 10:28am Universal Time, the sun will shine directly over the earth’s equator. How do you translate Universal Time to match your little corner of the world? Click over to earthsky.org for simple conversion instructions.

The March equinox is a global event that people of the world celebrate in different ways.  For those of us living on Earth’s northern half, this celestial event welcomes spring! Our friends in the southern hemisphere (like in Australia) meet autumn.

In Japan, the March Equinox, also called the Vernal Equinox, is a national holiday. People spend the day with their families and visit the graves of loved ones.

The traditional New Year celebrations in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand take place in mid-April.

In Egypt, the people celebrate Sham el-Nassim which is an ancient way to welcome spring and abundance.  It’s a national holiday and most people spend the day picnicking and eating brightly colored boiled eggs similar to Easter.

In the United States, there is a unique festival you might not have heard about – in Annapolis, Maryland, boatyard employees and sailboat owners celebrate the spring equinox with the Burning Of The Socks festival. Traditionally, the boating community wears socks only during the winter. These are burned at the approach of warmer weather, which brings more customers and work to the area. Officially, nobody then wears socks until the next equinox.

However you might celebrate (socks or not!) we wish you a very happy new season!