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Post Info TOPIC: Spring Equinox
Blobrana


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Vernal Equinox
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The Sun crosses the celestial equator at 5:14 UT, 20th March, 2012. This is the Vernal Equinox and marks the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.



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Blobrana


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RE: Spring Equinox
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Nearly 500,000 Flock to Mexican Pyramids for Equinox

More than 460,000 people flocked to 12 of Mexico's main pre-Columbian sites to witness the spring equinox, which many people associate with a "charge of energy" and with a chance to invoke their ancestors and cosmic forces for the purification of their bodies and souls.
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Blobrana


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The Vernal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 23:31 UT.

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Blobrana


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Welcome spring like a Druid
This coming Sunday, the Explore New England section of Travel will highlight 10 ways to celebrate spring. But we thought that dawn was earlier than most readers would look at the paper, so we did not mention that UMass/Amherst astronomer Judith Young will be leading a sunrise gathering at the university's sunwheel - an array of stones that serves as a solar observatory a la Stonehenge.
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Blobrana


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At the break of dawn, thousands of visitors gathered at the Aztec "Pyramid of the Sun" in Mexico and raised their hands to greet the sun during the Spring equinox celebrations on Sunday.
The Spring equinox, occurs in the middle of March and marks the beginning of Spring.
In order to receive the first rays of the sun to gather energy, people trekked up the huge Pyramid of the Sun which is located north of Mexico City. The sacred city of Teotihuacan, rose and fell around the same time as ancient Rome.
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Blobrana


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Day and night are not exactly of equal length at the time of the March and September equinoxes. The dates on which day and night are each 12 hours occur a few days before and after the equinoxes. The specific dates of this occurrence are different for different latitudes.
On the day of an equinox, the geometric centre of the Sun's disk crosses the equator, and this point is above the horizon for 12 hours everywhere on the Earth. However, the Sun is not simply a geometric point. Sunrise is defined as the instant when the leading edge of the Sun's disk becomes visible on the horizon, whereas sunset is the instant when the trailing edge of the disk disappears below the horizon.
In the northern hemisphere, at latitude 5 degrees the dates of equal day and night occur about February 25 and October 15; at latitude 40 degrees they occur about March 17 and September 26. On the dates of the equinoxes, the day is about 7 minutes longer than the night at latitudes up to about 25 degrees, increasing to 10 minutes or more at latitude 50 degrees.
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Blobrana


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UTC date and time of solstices and equinoxes
year Equinox
Mar		 Solstice
June		 Equinox
Sept		 Solstice
Dec
day time day time day time day time
2004 20 06:49 21 00:57 22 16:30 21 12:42
2005 20 12:33 21 06:46 22 22:23 21 18:35
2006 20 18:26 21 12:26 23 04:03 22 00:22
2007 21 00:07 21 18:06 23 09:51 22 06:08
2008 20 05:48 20 23:59 22 15:44 21 12:04
2009 20 11:44 21 05:45 22 21:18 21 17:47
2010 20 17:32 21 11:28 23 03:09 21 23:38
2011 20 23:21 21 17:16 23 09:04 22 05:30
2012 20 05:14 20 23:09 22 14:49 21 11:11
2013 20 11:02 21 05:04 22 20:44 21 17:11
2014 20 16:57 21 10:51 23 02:29 21 23:03
2015 20 22:45 21 16:38 23 08:20 22 04:48
2016 20 04:30 20 22:34 22 14:21 21 10:44
2017 20 10:28 21 04:24 22 20:02 21 16:28
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Blobrana


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Easter
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It has represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen. It is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world and has been dyed, painted, adorned and embellished in the celebration of its special symbolism.
Before the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter it was honoured during many rite of spring festivals. From ancient times eggs were dyed, exchanged and shown reverence.
In Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. With the advent of Christianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent the rebirth of man.

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Blobrana


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Ostara
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As people celebrate the Easter holiday today, those who may have participated in many of the Easter egg hunts that took place across the county Saturday may not appreciate or understand its origin.
According to online information, eggs were forbidden during Lent in Medieval Europe. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved, and were a mainstay of Easter meals. They were also a prized Easter gift for children and servants.
Eggs have been viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. It is believed that many ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals.

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Blobrana


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Spring Equinox
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Today it's Spring Equinox!
On the Spring or Vernal Equinox, the Sun rises exactly in the east travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in the west.
After the Spring Equinox, for the northern hemisphere, the Sun will continue to follow a higher path across the sky, with the days growing longer and longer, until it reaches it highest point in the sky on the Summer Solstice.

This time of year has been celebrated by cultures throughout history who held festivals for their gods and goddesses at this time of year. Aphrodite from Cyprus, Hathor from Egypt and Ostara of Scandinavia. The Celts continued the tradition with festivities at this time of year.

In legend, Ostara, celebrates the ancient Saxon goddess, Eostre, who symbolises new life and fertility. Legend has it that the goddess was saved by a bird whose wings had become frozen by the cold of winter. This process turned the bird into a hare.
The main symbols for Easter are the egg, for new life or beginnings, and the rabbit/hare, for fertility.

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