Description: War Thunder is a next generation military MMO game dedicated to...
Since ancient times, people have known what an equinox is, although the physical essence of the phenomenon could only be explained with the advent of astronomy. There are two days a year - the spring and autumn equinoxes - which are very important. At this time, the Sun passes a certain point where the ecliptic and the equator intersect.
astronomical event
For astronomy, the days of the solstices and equinoxes play a big role. So what is an equinox and why does it happen?
As you know, an astronomical event is associated with the tilt of the axis of our planet and the orbit of the star. The Earth has a tilt of 23.5 degrees, it has a southern and northern hemisphere, which are illuminated almost equally. Because of this, the length of day and night is almost equal on the entire planet, with the exception of certain areas. But twice a year, the illumination is uniform throughout the planet. After these two days of the year, the nights in the Northern Hemisphere lengthen and the days become shorter.
Usually sunlight reaches the surface of the planet only at one pole, while at the other it is night. And only on the days of the equinox, the rays of the Sun reach both poles so that they illuminate half of the planet, while the other half remains night.
Dates
The equinox is always shifting. This is due to the fact that the Earth revolves around our star not in a circle, but in an ellipse. As a result of this movement, the spring equinox falls on March 20-12, and the autumn day falls on September 22-23. The same day in duration equals night.
The vernal equinox
One of the unique natural phenomena is the spring equinox. At this moment, the Sun crosses the celestial equator. During the movement of the Earth and the Sun, a moment arises when the rays of the luminary fall on the equator vertically. During the transition of the Sun from one hemisphere of the planet to another, day and night remain equal.
The day of the equinox is considered to be the beginning of the astronomical season. The interval from spring to spring day is considered a tropical year. It has approximately 365.24 days. Because of this incomplete 366th day, the day is pushed forward by almost six hours.
And what is the equinox for people and how does it affect the planet? For many nations, the New Year begins on the day of the vernal equinox. This day is playing great value for Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan. Some other Silk Road countries also associate the beginning of the new year with this natural phenomenon.
On this day, darkness and light are equal. There was a time when there were no calendars. At that time, the beginning of spring was determined precisely by the day of the equinox. It is believed that from this day the renewal of nature begins - the trees wake up, you can hear the first thunder, greenery begins to grow.
Our ancestors on the holiday of the spring equinox rolled burning wheels from the hill as a sign of respect for the Sun, its symbol. Festivities took place all over the country - people burned bonfires, jumped over them, danced, pulled the rope. On the spring equinox, baked goods were prepared and treated to loved ones, relatives, and taken as a gift to their ancestors.
autumn day
And what is the equinox and when does it happen, as is celebrated by the peoples of the world? Autumn day coincides with a large number of different celebrations.
AT Ancient Greece a beautiful legend was associated with the autumn day of the equinox, according to which the goddess of fertility Persephone returns to Hades in the underworld. On this day, various magical rituals should be performed, the successes and failures of the past months should be evaluated.
In China, the Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is held on this day. This day celebrates the abundance of the harvest. Traditionally, a moon cake is prepared on this day, to which goose eggs, lotus, dried fruits, and sesame are added.
In Japan, Higan is celebrated. Usually on this day, the Japanese commemorate the dead, decorate the graves. Higan has been celebrated since the nineteenth century.
In the middle of autumn, the pagans celebrated Mabon - the holiday of the cycle of the seasons. It is marked by the harvest of the second harvest, the beginning of winter preparations. It was customary on this day to “go to nature”, collect leaves, seeds.
After the day of the equinox, when our luminary passes into the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern, the astronomical change of seasons begins on Earth. So, spring comes to the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn comes to the Southern Hemisphere.
On the days of the equinox on the planet, day and night are equal to 12 hours. Although this statement has a small caveat, because at the North Pole and in southern regions time goes differently. "Almost" equal day and night are not actually equal. If we carry out exact mathematical calculations, then the day is longer than the night. Its duration is 12 hours 12 minutes.
Since ancient times, people have known what an equinox is and how the Sun moves across the sky. These days, the luminary rises strictly in the east, and sets strictly in the west. After the day of the vernal equinox, the Sun will begin to rise higher, the length of the day will increase. In autumn, the process is reversed: the day becomes shorter and the night longer.
Our ancestors believed that on the days of the equinox, you can find out the name of your husband, make wishes that will come true.
One of the most important events The calendar year was considered the vernal equinox - the moment after which winter officially resigned its duties and transferred the rule to spring. The earth woke up, all living things froze in anticipation of the coming heat and light.
It is for this reason that, since ancient times, our ancestors have been waiting for the equinox - it was believed that this day is the most favorable for predicting the future, including how fertile the earth will be. The exact time and traditions of the spring equinox in 2018 will be revealed in this article.
AT modern world the holiday lost its significance - a respectful attitude was preserved only in some countries. For the vast majority, especially for young people, this is just another reason to rejoice at the onset of spring. However, even they often feel awe from the moment when the day becomes equal to the night. There is a certain areola of romance in this and the feeling that something new and incredible is waiting for a person right now.
Therefore, it is quite natural that people want to know in advance when the Spring Equinox 2018.
From the point of view of modern astronomy, the essence of this natural phenomenon consists in the process of movement of the Earth and the Sun. Another thing is that, unlike most astronomical events, the changes that occur with the planet at the equinox can not only be noticed, but also felt: the rays of the Sun fall on the equator, which is why the night on the entire planet lasts as long as the day.
It is worth noting that the annual onset of this significant event occurs on different days and this is due primarily to the fact that the interval between the previous and the future day of the equinox should be 365 days, 24 solar days. Thus, the peculiar shift of the date is explained by the fluctuation of hundredths
Not everyone knows that modern Gregorian calendar designed so that all equinoxes fall on approximately the same dates. The earliest usually occur in leap years, and the latest in the year before the leap year.
March 21 is considered to be the official date of the vernal equinox, but in this century it fell on this date only once - in 2007, and, according to the results of scientists' calculations, this was the only time in the next hundred years. Basically, the date of events will fall on March 20, occasionally on March 19. So, the spring equinox of 2018 will take place on March 20.
history of the holiday
We can talk about the significance of the spring equinox in the life of our ancestors for a very long time and this conversation will be endless. So, in Russia, long before the adoption of Christianity, there was a holiday called “Komoeditsa”.
It was celebrated for two weeks: a week before the equinox itself and a week after, and was dedicated to the veneration of the Bear god Kom. It was believed that the next day after the end of the festivities, the bears would wake up and drive away the winter with their roar. Oddly enough, the pancake was the symbol of this ancient celebration, since it was the pancake that was associated with the sun - it was round, yellow and hot, just like a heavenly body.
However, with the adoption of Christianity, the holiday disappeared, and “Shrovetide” came to replace it: “Komoeditsa” fell on the days of Great Lent, which the church charter could not come to terms with, since supporters of paganism still had more influence than the ministers of the church .
In addition, to sharply deprive people of their usual spring holiday the church also failed, so it went for a kind of compromise - the festivities became less large-scale, and the celebration of the veneration of the Bear God turned into "Shrovetide" - the day when people celebrate spring.
It is noteworthy, but it is “Komoeditsa” that is still celebrated in Belarus - on March 24, events are held related to the meeting of spring and the awakening of bears
Similar holidays were held among other peoples. The Saxons, for example, had a feast called Ostara, during which bonfires were burned in the name of the future harvest.
among the peoples of Greece, ancient egypt and Phrygia, the festival was associated with the cult of the dying God, who rose annually in the spring.
Celebration traditions
As now, our ancestors organized fairs, where everyone could taste a variety of pastries with all kinds of fillings. Including pancakes, which had a special place. The youth did not differ much from the current one, so the entertainment was the same - noisy songs and dances, exciting games, competitions for a good reward.
The older generation performed a series of rituals aimed at praying for the fertility of the earth and the harvest year. The holiday ended with the burning of an effigy made of rags and straw, which symbolized the passing winter. Usually the burning was carried out on the very edge of the city, and even better, outside it, so as not to bring on native land winter's wrath.
Based on this, it becomes clear that the modern Shrovetide holiday has largely preserved the traditions of its ancestors, although it has lost a lot. We still bake pancakes, arrange folk festivals and burn the effigy of winter.
It is surprising that the once pagan holiday was able to assimilate with the Orthodoxy established in Russia. Moreover, become its integral part. Think for yourself, what is Lent without Maslenitsa? They say: "Walk the Shrove Tuesday, but don't forget about Lent."
Popular beliefs
It is worth mentioning the main signs associated with the spring equinox and the Maslenitsa.
“How many pancakes you bake, you attract so many sunny days.” It was believed that you need to bake a lot of pancakes in order to treat as much as possible. more people, and each pancake eaten had to increase the amount good days. Another is indirectly connected with this belief - "Whoever is stingy with food will go bankrupt in a year."
If the owners wanted peace and tranquility to always reign in their house, they were always ready to receive guests. It was strictly forbidden to drive away unexpected visitors - it was possible to invite trouble.
The most famous sign that has survived to this day concerns "mother-in-law pancakes." According to tradition, the mother-in-law had to feed her son-in-law with her pancakes in order to maintain peace and silence in her daughter's family. Also, this ritual promised well-being in the relationship between the mother-in-law and the son-in-law - what tastier pancakes the less they fight.
The last significant belief associated with the celebration of the Spring Festival is related to the shape of baked pancakes: the more beautiful and tastier the pancakes are, the warmer and more productive the summer will be. And the more beautiful pancakes there are, the happier the family will be. That is why one of the indicators of a good bride was her ability to bake pancakes.
Video
Equinox, implies at least elementary knowledge of astronomical terms, because the equinox itself is a phenomenon studied by this particular science.
Required knowledge of astronomical terms
Our luminary makes its movement along the ecliptic, which is, speaking in unscientific terms, the plane of the earth's orbit. And the moment when the sun, making its way along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator, which is a large circle of air and parallel to the earth's equator (their planes coincide, and both of them are perpendicular to the axis of the world), is called an equinox. (also an astronomical concept that has nothing to do with Schwarzenegger) is a line that divides any celestial body into a part illuminated by the sun and into a "night" part. So, on the day of the equinox, it is this terminator that passes through the geographic poles of the Earth and divides it into two equal semi-ellipses.
The salient feature in the name
The name itself contains the concept that on the day of the equinox, night and day are equal to each other. From a scientific point of view, the night is always a little shorter, and the sun rises and sets not exactly in the east and west, but a little to the north. But all the same, from childhood we know that June 22 is not only the day the war began and school graduation balls(as it was in Soviet time), but also the summer equinox. However, December 22 is also called the days of summer and winter solstice. This happens because the sun in these periods of time is either in the high point above the horizon, or at the lowest, and farthest from the celestial equator. That is, on the day of the equinox, the light and dark parts of the day are almost equal to each other.
The number characteristic of the equinox and solstice
On the days of the solstices, one of them - either day or night - maximally exceeds the other. The equinoxes and solstices are also notable for the fact that they serve as the beginning of the seasons. These dates are very remarkable, and always one of the family members says that, they say, today is the longest or shortest day, or that today the day is equal to the night. And this distinguishes him from a series of consecutive days. Almost always, the date of these moments becomes the 22nd, but there are also leap years, and other moments and phenomena of astronomy that affect the date shift by the 21st or 23rd. The months of March, June, September and December are those in which the equinoxes and solstices fall.
Holidays that came from ancient times
Of course, they have been known since ancient times. Our ancestors observed them and connected their lives with these dates, dozens of witnesses will accept this. For the ancient Slavs, a certain holiday is associated with each of these days, and it usually lasts a week (Carols, Rusalia, Maslenitsa week). So, on the winter solstice, Kolyada falls, a holiday later timed to coincide with Christmas. Velikden, or Komoyeditsa, she is Shrovetide - these names mark the spring equinox, the birth of the young sun. From this day begins the astrological solar year, and our luminary passes into from the South. Maybe that's why March 20 is the holiday of astrology. Kupala (other names are Ivan-day, Solstice), or summer confrontation, is a great summer holiday of the ancient Slavs, fanned by legends that glorified brave people who go that night to look for a fern flower. Ovsen-Tausen, the day of the autumn equinox, after which winter slowly begins to come into its own, and the nights become longer. Therefore, our ancestors in Svyatovit (another name) lit candles - the most beautiful was put in a place of honor.
Earth's Special Climate Zone
All these dates served as starting points for the start of certain activities necessary for life - seasonal types of farming, building or stocking up for the winter. The days of the spring and autumn equinoxes are also characterized by the fact that the sun gives off its light and heat equally to both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and its rays reach both poles. These days it is above the territory of such climate zone Lands like the tropics (translated from Greek means turning circle). AT different sides from the equator to 23 and a few degrees, parallel to it are the northern and southern tropics. characteristic feature The area enclosed between them is that over them twice a year the Sun reaches its zenith - once on June 22 over the northern tropic, or the tropic of Cancer, the second time over the southern, or tropic of Capricorn. It happens on December 22nd. This is typical for all latitudes. North and south of the tropics at its zenith, the Sun never appears.
One of the consequences of the shift in the direction of the earth's axis
On the days of the equinox and solstice, it intersects with the celestial equator at points located in (spring) and Virgo (autumn), and on the days of greatest and least distance from the equator, that is, on the days of the summer and winter solstices, in the constellations of Taurus and Sagittarius, respectively . The summer solstice moved from the zodiac constellation Gemini to Taurus in 1988. Under the influence of the attraction of the Sun and the Moon, the earth's axis slowly shifts its direction (precession is another astronomical term), as a result of which the points of intersection of the star with the celestial equator also shift. Spring dates differ from autumn dates, and if September falls on the 22nd-23rd, then the question “When is the day of the vernal equinox?” The answer will be - March 20th. It must be noted that for the Southern Hemisphere, the dates will change places - autumn will become spring, because everything is vice versa there.
The role of the zodiac constellations
As noted above, the equinox points are the points of intersection of the celestial equator with the ecliptic, and they have their own zodiac symbols corresponding to the constellations in which they are located: spring - Aries, summer - Cancer, autumn - Libra, winter - Capricorn. It should be noted that the period of time between two equinoxes of the same name is called a tropical year, the number of solar days in which differs from approximately 6 hours. And only thanks to the leap year, which repeats once every 4 years, the date of the next equinox, running forward, returns to the previous number. With the Gregorian year, the difference is negligible (tropical - 365.2422 days, Gregorian - 365.2425), because this modern calendar is arranged in such a way that even in the long term, the dates of the solstices and equinoxes fall on the same numbers. This happens because it provides for a pass of 3 days once every 400 years.
One of the most important practical tasks of astronomy is the establishment of the date of the equinox
Dates range from 1 to 2, no more than days. So how to determine for the coming years when the day of the equinox? It is noticed that as a result of the presence of small fluctuations, the earliest dates, that is, the 19th, fall on leap years. Naturally, the latest (22) falls directly on the preceding leap years. Very rarely there are earlier and later dates, the memory of them is kept for centuries. So, back in 1696, the spring equinox fell on March 19, and in 1903, the autumn equinox fell on September 24. Contemporaries will not see such deviations, because the record of 1696 will be repeated in 2096, and the latest equinox (September 23) will occur no earlier than 2103. There are nuances associated with local time - a deviation in a figure from world time occurs only when the exact date falls on 24:00. After all, to the west of the reference point - the zero meridian - a new day has not yet arrived.
March
June
September
December
Equinox- the moment when the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator.
The spring equinox occurs either on March 21, when the Sun moves from the southern hemisphere to the northern, and the autumn equinox, or on September 23, when it moves from the north to the south. These days, for all places on the Earth (excluding the regions of the earth's poles), day is almost equal to night ("almost" - due to refraction, the fact that the Sun is not a point source of light, but a disk, and also due to the fact that itself the equinox is offset from 6 or 18 hours local solar time). On the days of the spring equinox and the autumn equinox, the Sun rises almost exactly in the east and sets almost exactly in the west. Whereas after the spring equinox (in the northern hemisphere) it rises north of the east and sets north of the west, and after the autumn equinox it rises south of the east and sets south of the west.
The points of intersection of the celestial equator with the ecliptic are called equinoxes. Because of the ellipticity of its orbit, the Earth moves from the autumnal equinox to the spring equinox rather than from the spring to the autumnal equinox. Due to the precession of the earth's axis mutual arrangement the equator and ecliptic are slowly changing; this phenomenon is called the prelude of the equinoxes. During the year, the position of the equator changes so that the Sun arrives at the equinox 20 minutes 24 seconds earlier than the Earth completes a complete orbit. As a result, the position of the equinoctial points on the celestial sphere changes. From the point of the vernal equinox, right ascensions are counted along the celestial equator, longitudes along the ecliptic. Determining the position of this fictitious point on the celestial sphere is one of the main tasks of practical astronomy.
The spring and autumn equinoxes are considered the astronomical beginning of the seasons of the same name. The interval between two equinoxes of the same name is called a tropical year, which is adopted for measuring time. The tropical year is approximately 365.2422 solar days, so the equinox falls on different time days, moving forward each time by almost 6 hours. The Julian year has 365¼ days. Insert day leap year returns the equinox to the previous number of the year. But the tropical year is slightly shorter than the Julian one, and the equinox is actually slowly receding in the Julian calendar. In the Gregorian chronology, due to the omission of 3 days in 400 years, it is almost motionless (the average Gregorian year is 365.2425 days).
Peoples and religions in which the New Year begins on the equinox
- Baha'i - Nowruz see Baha'i calendar
- Kazakh New Year
Historical events that took place on the equinox
- Watch: March 20
- Watch: March 21
- Watch: March 22
Notes
see also
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
- Election Day
- Resurrection Day in Islam
See what the "Day of the Spring Equinox" is in other dictionaries:
Day of spring equinox- The time when the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator is called an equinox. The Earth at this time is in such a position in relation to the Sun, when both hemispheres, from the equator to the poles, heat up ... ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers
Astronomical spring, or the day of the vernal equinox- March 21 the day of the offensive astronomical spring It is also called the spring equinox. At this time, the Earth is in such a position with respect to the Sun, when both hemispheres, from the equator to the poles, heat up relatively equally. Encyclopedia of newsmakers
Autumn equinox day- September 23, 2013 at 00 hours 44 minutes Moscow time (MSK) the Sun will once again cross the celestial equator and move from northern hemisphere celestial sphere to the south. The day of the autumnal equinox will come, astronomical autumn in ... ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers
Autumn equinox (holiday)- The day of the autumn equinox, the time of commemoration of deceased relatives and visiting their graves
green day- (Jap. みどりの日 Midori no hi?) is a public holiday in Japan. Since 2007, celebrated on May 4; in 1989 2006, celebrated on April 29. Part of the Japanese Golden Week. Until 1989, April 29 was the birthday of Emperor Showa ... ... Wikipedia
coming of age day- (jap. 成人 の日 seijin no hi?) Japanese public holiday, which is celebrated on the second Monday of January (one of the "happy Mondays"). On this day, all Japanese who last year turned 20 years old, celebrate their ... ... Wikipedia
Labor Thanksgiving Day- Labor Thanksgiving Day is an echo of the traditional Japanese harvest gratitude holiday. Labor Thanksgiving Day ... Wikipedia
April Fool's Day Encyclopedia of newsmakers
April Fool's Day: the history and traditions of the holiday April 1st is April Fools Day. This day is not included in any calendars of significant and festive dates, but it can be quite attributed to international ones, since the custom is to have fun, joke and deceive each other on April 1 ... ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers
Earth Day- Not to be confused with international day Mother Earth. Not to be confused with Earth Hour. Earth Day The symbol of the day is green ... Wikipedia
Books
- Underground , Murakami Haruki , Sarin - a military grade nerve agent 26 times more deadly than potassium cyanide: a pinhead-sized drop of sarin is enough to kill ... Category:
If you want to know what date the Equinox Day is and everything about this holiday, read this article.
The spring equinox occurs on March 20 (pre-leap years March 20 or 21), when the Sun moves from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, and the autumn equinox occurs on September 22 or 23, when the Sun moves from the northern hemisphere to the southern.
The spring equinox is a unique natural phenomenon, which has been celebrated since time immemorial and boils down to the fact that "at the moment of the equinox, the center of the Sun in its apparent movement along the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator." Simply put, on this day, the Earth, rotating around its own axis passing through the poles, and also simultaneously moving around the Sun, is in such a position with respect to the luminary that Sun rays fall on the equator.
How is the Spring/Autumn Equinox Celebrated?
The spring and autumn equinoxes are considered the astronomical beginning of the respective seasons. And the time between the equinoxes is called the tropical year. From 2010 to 2014, the spring equinox occurs on March 20.
This year is accepted today and accepted for the change of time. On the day of the spring equinox begins New Year many peoples and nationalities of the Earth: Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan - all the countries of the Silk Road associate the beginning of the new year with this natural phenomenon.
On this day, light and darkness are divided equally. In ancient times, there were no calendars, and spring was determined by the Sun. It was believed that renewal in nature began with this - the first spring thunder, swelling of buds on trees, violent germination of greenery.
The day of the spring equinox is revered in the pagan faith. It was believed that on this day in the annual cycle, Spring, which personifies the revival and rebirth of nature, replaces Winter. As you know, when the Sun moves from north to south, the autumn equinox also occurs - September 22 or 23.
Features of the day of the equinox
Today, the day of the equinox is associated with falling asleep or the revival of nature, it is celebrated more as a tribute to the customs of the ancestors than a necessary event associated with today. The day of the equinox is celebrated in the form of mass festivities, traditional pagan rites. Celebrations are often held on this day in folk parks, people dress up in the clothes of their ancestors, national costumes. There are many traditions and rituals, thanks to which this day acquires importance and interesting for both adults and children. Indeed, on the day of the equinox, fires are made, dances are made, wreaths are thrown along the river, other rituals, fortune-telling, interesting to everyone, are performed, and all this is accompanied by dances and songs, mass fun. Therefore, this holiday is worth visiting with the whole family.
