Point of origin: How the world welcomed the vernal equinox

On March 20, at 19:46 Ashgabat time, Earth reached a pivotal astronomical milestone—the vernal equinox. This moment does more than just mark the equality of day and night; it symbolizes the dawn of a new natural cycle.

At the moment of the equinox, the Sun crosses the celestial equator, causing daylight and darkness to last approximately 12 hours each across nearly the entire globe. For the Northern Hemisphere, this event marks the official start of astronomical spring. From this day forward, light begins to steadily "reclaim" time from the darkness: days grow longer, the sun climbs higher in the sky, and nature finally awakens from its winter slumber. In the Southern Hemisphere, the situation is reversed as autumn officially begins.

The exact time of the equinox shifts slightly every year. This occurs because a calendar year (365 days) does not perfectly align with the actual time it takes for Earth to orbit the Sun—a difference of roughly 0.24 days. Consequently, the event can fall anywhere between March 19 and March 21. The introduction of an extra day in leap years helps synchronize our calendars with these cosmic cycles.

Humanity attributed sacred meaning to this day long before the existence of modern observatories. The equinox has always been perceived as the ultimate victory of life over the cold.

In the countries of Central Asia and the Middle East, this day is celebrated as the New Year according to the astronomical solar calendar. Traditions of deep-cleaning homes, renewing wardrobes, and preparing symbolic dishes (such as semeni) transform Nowruz into a symbol of both spiritual and physical rebirth.

The arrival of spring is greeted in India with the legendary festival of colors, embodying joy, equality, and liberation from winter's stillness. In the Land of the Rising Sun (Japan), this period is dedicated to contemplation and the memory of ancestors—Japanese families visit ancestral graves and spend quiet time with loved ones. In Western culture, the equinox is traditionally associated with "spring cleaning"—not just of physical spaces, but of one's plans for the future.

For centuries, the brief moment when day and night are equal has remained a powerful symbol of change for humanity. It is the time when nature sends us a clear signal: it is time to renew ourselves and move forward.