Saturday March 20 begins the spring 2021. To welcome the warm season is as usual thevernal equinox, the astronomical event that closes the winter, giving life to a day in which the hours of light and dark they are equivalent. It is no coincidence that the etymological origin of equinox refers to Latin equinox, union of words aequus (equal) and nox (night), that is “equal night (to the day)”. The phenomenon is due to the fact that on this occasion the sun it is found at the zenith of the equator and its rays strike the axis of rotation of our planet perpendicularly.
Net of the more strictly scientific aspects, the arrival of spring is linked to millenary traditions, some of which have come down to the present day. Among these there is Sham El Nessim, one of the oldest spring festivals in the world, which has been held in Egypt for 4,700 years. Sham El Nessim, which means “sniffing the wind”, falls on the first Monday after Coptic Easter and includes large outdoor picnics for breathe the spring breeze. In fact, legend has it that on this day the air has an extraordinarily beneficial effect on the body. Among the foods consumed on the lawns are the boiled and colored eggs, symbol of the cosmos and of rebirth.
The Hindu version of the spring festival is called instead Holi, an event also known as the “festival of colors”. It is a mainly practiced religious celebration in Nepal e in India, which celebrates rebirth and reincarnation, as well as the triumph of good over evil. It is characterized by a rite with a carnival flavor, which consists of throwing powders of colorful pigments at him, mixed with water. Underlying this custom are various myths, including one involving the Dio Krishna and his great love for Radha. It is said that as a child, God Krishna was jealous of Radha’s complexion, which was much lighter than his own. Taking a playful advice from mother Yashoda, Krishna colored Radha’s face; hence the love game in which couples they dirty each other’s faces as a sign of affection. The festival of Holi does not have a fixed date, but is usually celebrated as the vernal equinox approaches, on a full moon day. Over the years the event has taken root in a secular way in many parts of the globe, due to its playful nature much appreciated by the youngest.
Another very ancient custom, dating back to the Chinese Tang dynasty, concerns the Japan, where the period between the end of March and the first half of April is synonymous with Hanami, literally “admire the cherry blossoms”. The natural spectacle of flowering is very much felt by the population of the Rising Sun, which historically celebrates the event with picnic with sushi, beer and sake, consumed in the shade of these trees, called sakura. For the Japanese, cherry trees symbolize the ephemeral beauty and transience of the world, and as such they are a perfect metaphor for life.
Finally it is worth remembering that the vernal equinox has an important specific expenditure also in Christian tradition. The feast of the Easter in fact, it falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. The latter for the Church it is conventionally fixed on March 21st, although the astronomical event may actually also occur on the 20th or even the 19th of the same month.
© All rights reserved