Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Rite of Spring Equinox a Day Early

 All: All hail the spring! The spring is sprung!

Archdruid: What are you all doing out here?

All: Celebrating the Vernal Equinox.

Archdruid: Which is tomorrow.

All: The Daily Mail said it's today.

"Spring has officially sprung! Vernal Equinox is today as the sun shines directly over the equator - meaning winter is finally over Today is the Spring Equinox which marks the start of 'astronomical' spring At 03:06 GMT tomorrow morning, the sun will pass directly above the equator "

Archdruid: If the Daily Mail told you it was a good idea, would you vote for Brexit? Actually, forget I asked that. It's tomorrow. I presume that some 14 year old "reporter" or AI bot has scraped an American site, where the Equinox will happen later today. But it's still tomorrow our time.

Marston Moretaine: My brain hurts now.

Archdruid: It frequently does, doesn't it?

Burton Dasset: Diana in the Daily Mail comments says it's always  21st March, every year, at least that's what she was always told, and that's how it was in the 50s. And she's got upvotes.

Diana lowestoft, United Kingdom 19 minutes ago  I was always told that the Spring, or Vernal Equinox takes place on March 21st, whilst the Autumn Equinox is on September 21st. The Summer Solstice is on June 21st and the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21st. That's how it always was whilst growing up in the 1950s and 60s ...

Archdruid: What someone was always told is not the same as truth. And it wasn't true in the 50s either. And Diana has no idea what she's talking about. Do you have any concept of objective truth?

All: We're members of a made-up cult worshipping our own feelings. What do you reckon?

Archdruid: Good point. Anyway. See you out here at 6 minutes past three tomorrow morning?

All: What time?

Archdruid: Actually. Shall we just crack on now?

All: All hail the spring! The spring is sprung!

4 comments :

  1. Interesting what/who some people think defines the equinox. See this astophysist's blog: https://telescoper.blog/2024/03/20/the-vernal-equinox-2024/
    especially the comment made that it's all the EU's fault that the vernal equinox is no longer on 21st March!

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  2. I think the confusion arises because the church (at least those churches which use the Gregorian calendar) defines the Vernal Equinox as 21st March for the purpose of calculating the date of Easter Day. But this is scientifically wrong (usually).

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    Replies
    1. But there's a really good reason for it. If you use the real equinox and the real full moon, there's a chance of Easter falling on different dates in different places.

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  3. After moving 2 years ago, I now find myself without a church that I feel comfortable in. Please can I join yours?
    Incidentally, my wife ( a Methodist local preacher) says she should have read your last post as it would have removed the necessity of her writing a sermon for last week.

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