Tomorrow at 5:20pm is officially the end of winter. All the snow will melt instantly. Birds will materialize. Flowers will poke up from the damp earth. The temperature will continue to raise overnight until the morning when the sun, rising with a benevolent grin on it's buttery-yellow surface casts warm rays on a plethora of newly born animals.
Okay, we all know that's a load of bunk. This raises the question; why on earth do they have "the first day of spring" anyway?! Depending where you are in the world, this title means absolutely nothing or almost absolutely nothing. Take Kathmandu for instance. You can expect temperatures of nearly 40C all week, and thick haze settling over the city. You know that sounds just like spring! Now how about Edmonton, AB? Negative temperatures all week. Still no sign of the robins but they should start arriving in 24 hours or so.
So what is the purpose of the last day of winter/first day of spring? To make us northerners feel more optimistic? So the Wiccans know when to perform fertility ceremonies? Any ideas?
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Spring Equinox = Vernal Equinox. This is when the sun is directly over the equator, as the earths axis shifts from on aspect to the other. This means we half way between the shortest and longest day of the year, half way between the solstices. The further you live away from the equator the less effect you see from the equinox. Hence, move.
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