Spring has sprung. The cheerful robins have returned. Old English legend has it that “this pious bird with the scarlet breast” tenderly picked a thorn from the crown of Christ. As the merciful bird flew off a drop of blood fell dying the bird’s breast red.
Day: March 20, 2016
Spring 2016 Starts Now
According to our server’s clock it is now 12:30 a.m., EDT, March 20, which means the vernal equinox just happened and Spring 2016 has begun.
Equinox is Latin for “equal night.” Days and nights are approximately equal everywhere and the Sun rises and sets due east and west, explains The Old Farmers Almanac. At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun.
Vernal comes from the Latin vernalis which means spring.