"If spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change!" ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Today is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere--the vernal equinox. In Latin, "equinox" means "equal night."
Because the sun appears directly over the equator as its tracks northward in the sky, day and night are almost the same length. South of the equator, the seasons are reversed, with the March equinox announcing autumn.
Easter is just around the corner. Named for the goddess of spring, Eostre, ancient pagans offered her cake and colored eggs on this day. With her comes the promise of new beginnings and summer growth.
Eostre is also the goddess of the East, the direction of the sunrise and rebirth. The fertility goddess, she is the friend of all children and is identical to the Greek Eos and the Roman Aurora.
"Spring," raved transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau, "an experience in immortality."
Spring reawakens the soul to the wonder and expectation of life. Make today a celebration of miraculous changes, growth, and endless possibilities. We each have the promise of Spring in our hearts.
As writer E.B. White described it, "No matter what changes take place in the world, or in me, nothing ever seems to disturb the face of spring."
More SPRING Quotations
Celebrate Spring's resurrection!