Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox is a special day when day and night are divided equally across the globe and spring is divided in half, so people call it "Spring Equinox".

Spring Equinox ( Vernal Equinox) arrives around March 21 every year and on this day, the sun is vertically above a point on the equator. Vernal Equinox indicates two meanings. Firstly, on thisday, the night and day are approximately equally long with 12hours each. Secondly, it's the mid-point for the spring season.
Vernal Equinox is the middle of spring and usually on the 20 or 21 of Marchevery year. On this day, the sundirectly blazes down the equator, so that day and night is equal in length. After this day, the sun continuesto move to the north hemisphere and the temperature continues to rise. Daily average temperature inmost areas in China reaches 0 degree Celsius above.
Warmer temperatures thaw frozenground to make it easier for planting crops, increased rainfall waters these and animals that hibernated over winter emerge from their dens.

1. Egg-Standing 
Standing an egg upright is a popular game across the countryduring the Spring Equinox. It is an old custom that datesback to 4,000 years ago. People practice this tradition tocelebrate the coming of spring. It is believed that if someonecan make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

2. Eating Spring Vegetables
"Spring vegetables" refers to seasonal vegetables thatdiffer from place to place. The ancient teachings in theChinese classic, Huangdi Neijing, suggest that people eat seasonal foods to help preserve health and bring good luck.

3. Memorial Sun God
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), the imperial family held this ritual in Ritan park every Spring Equinox. The Ritan park gradually became a common place for public recreation. However, the practice still exists among the public.

4. Flying kites
Flying kites is a common leisure activity during springequinox. People often write auspicious words on their kites and hope that gods above would see it when their kites are flown high in the sky.

5. Reward farm cattle
This practice is popular in the southern area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. As the Spring Equinox comes, farmers will reward cattle with sticky rice balls to expresstheir gratefulness. Meanwhile, people will also make sacrifice to birds, to thank them for bringing signals for farm work and to ask them not to eat grains later in the year.

6. The Begonia
Begonias are small in size, and have oval and curved petals.The thin, delicate flowers range in color from pale pink tobright pink and have a yellow center with crisp, pink stems.

7. The Pear Flower
As the weather becomes warmer in the spring, the buds of pear blossoms open, uncurling broad and flat, white petals.Each petal has a delicate, slightly wavy appearance with asoft, smooth, and velvety texture.

8. The Magnolia
Magnolias are spreading and deciduous trees, characterised by large fragrant flowers which may be bowl-shaped or star-shaped, in shades of white, pink, purple, green or yellow.

9. The Black Bird Arrives
"Black bird"in this case refers to the swallow, a migratory bird that comes at the spring equinox and goes at the autumn equinox. The swallow flies to the eaves to build its nest and begin preparing for the next generation, which is a symbol of good luck.

10. The Thunder Sounds
At this time of year, when it is still a little bit cold, the cloud sare very active as the air masses from the north and south meet, which naturally produces the sound of thunder.

11. The Lightning Begins
Thunder is sound and lightning is light; they are supposed to be one thing. But the ancient Chinese considered thunder and lightning, like wind and rain, as two different things that occur almost simultaneously.