It’s almost time to put those winter gloves away, break out the T-shirts and watch those flowers start to bloom, with the first day of spring 2024 arriving soon.
Even though we had a few days with spring-like temperatures during the past week, and chilly temperatures are on tap for this week in New Jersey, the new season will officially begin on Tuesday, March 19, with the spring equinox.
Spring 2024 technically gets underway at 11:06 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, when the sun will be moving directly over the Earth’s equator — the central line between the North Pole and the South Pole — bringing almost equal minutes of daylight and darkness all around the globe.
That moment is widely known as the spring equinox, but some people call it the March equinox or the vernal equinox.
Here are some other interesting facts about the first day of spring.
Why is it called the spring equinox?
The word equinox was formed by two Latin words: “Equi” is the Latin prefix for “equal” and “nox” is the Latin word for “night.”
The other name of this annual occurrence, the vernal equinox, was derived from the word “vernal,” which translates to “new” and “fresh,” according to the Farmers’ Almanac, a rival publication of the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Does spring always start on the same day?
The spring equinox does not occur on the same day every year, but it always falls on one of these three days here in the northern hemisphere: March 19, March 20 or March 21.
In most years, the first day of spring lands on March 20. However, in 2020 the spring equinox arrived on March 19. In 2021, it reverted back to March 20, with that date repeating in 2022 and 2023.
This year the spring equinox will occur on March 19. And, according to timeanddate.com, the next time it arrives on March 21 will be 77 years from now — in 2101.
If you’re curious about why spring starts on different dates, you have to remember that “a year is not an even number of days and neither are the seasons,” notes Space.com. So, you can’t divide 365 days into four equal quarters and have and equal amount of days in every season.
In addition, the “earth’s elliptical orbit is changing its orientation relative to the sun, which causes the Earth’s axis to constantly point in a different direction,” the website says. “Since the seasons are defined as beginning at strict 90-degree intervals, these positional changes affect the time Earth reaches each 90-degree location in its orbit around the sun.”
Spring equinox tied to Easter and Passover dates
In many cultures around the world, the start of spring is considered a time of rebirth and renewal. And some major religious holidays — including Easter and Passover — are timed to be celebrated after the spring equinox and after a specific spring moon cycle.
This year, Christians will celebrate Easter Sunday on March 31, because that’s the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring — Monday, March 25. (Although Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25, this will be the first time since 2016 that Easter is in March.)
The Jewish holiday of Passover is always celebrated in the early spring, but just like the Christian calendar, the Jewish calendar is tied to lunar cycles. So this year, Passover will start before sundown on Monday, April 22, and end on the evening of Tuesday, April 30.
Stories by Len Melisurgo
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.
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