Spring and autumn equinoxes mark the point when hours of night and day are nearly equal right across the globe.
Sun worship was one of the main forms of religious practice among our ancestors, and there are stlll plenty of people who at least acknowledge the “other world” significance of the sun and moon. Ancient sites such as Glastonbury and Stonehenge in the UK are thronged with sun worshippers, as well as those looking to feel the vibe of these ancient sites at significant times of the sun’s cycle.
Another notable occurrence tied to the equinox is the Greater-Persian New Year. Other traditions concern agriculture, or more simply the beginning of Spring.
Here an interesting photo collection from Al-Jazeera and the Web.
Click to enlarge*
Afghan man sells national flags ahead of the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 19 March 2016.
Iranians shop on a street market ahead of the New Year celebrations, in Tehran, Iran, 17 March 2015.
Typical decorations for the Persian New Year (“Nowruz”) with the description of the elements normally placed in the celebratory small altar. The New Year, which has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years, is one of the most important celebrations in the greater Persian world, which includes the countries of Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and portions of western China and northern Iraq, and is traditionally celebrated on the Spring equinox, the day when the duration of night and day are roughly equivalent, usually falling on the 20 or 21 March.
A typical celebratory small altar for the Persian New Year (“Nowruz”).
A Hindu man from the village of Nandgaon seen covered with colored powder, as he attends the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in Barsana village, Mathura, India, 17 March 2016. Holi is the Hindu spring festival of colors. In Barsana, people celebrate a variation of holi, called ‘Lathmar’ Holi, which means ‘beating with sticks’. During the Lathmar Holi festival, the women of Barsana, the birth place of Hindu God Krishna’s beloved Radha, beat the men from Nandgaon, the hometown of Hindu God Krishna, with wooden sticks in response to their efforts to throw color on them.
A Chinese farmer drives a farm cattle during spring ploughing in the rural area of Jimo, eastern China’s Shandong province, 21 March 2013. After Chinese Spring Equinox season arrived, farmers began their busy farming season. China’s central budget will appropriate 1.3799 trillion yuan (Euro 172 billion) for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in 2013, an increase of 11.4 per cent, according to China’s Draft Central and Local Budgets for 2013.
Kyrgyz horsemen participate in the traditional Central Asian sport of Kok-boru (goat dragging), a competition held as part of the Navruz celebrations in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 18 March 2016. Kok-boru is a game where players grab a goat carcass from the ground while riding their horses and try to score by placing it in their opponent’s goal. Navruz, also called Nowruz, marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March or the previous or following days depending on where it is observed.
View at Stonehenge, the 5,000 year old stone circle, near Salisbury, Britain, 17 December 2013. The English Heritage organization has opened a new exhibition and visitor center to offer visitors to see original objects from the Bronze Age and a 360 degree virtual experience of Stonehenge. The centre will open to the public on 18 December.
A hot air balloon overflies the Sun Pyramid at the Teotihuacan archaeological site during the Balloon Festival in San Juan de Teotihuacan, State of Mexico, on March 19, 2016. The festival is being held on the spring equinox.
