On the days of the vernal equinox, daylight hours become equal to night. In this short period of time, the sun's rays fall strictly perpendicular to the equator. And at the end of these days, the luminary migrates to the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere from the southern. Officially, March 21 is considered the vernal equinox. Daylight hours begin to increase. The vernal equinox is not only the onset of astronomical spring, but also the beginning of a tropical year. It approximately lasts 365.2422 days. Due to inaccuracies, the equinox moves about 5-6 hours in time each cycle. But it was the tropical year that scientists adopted to measure time. For example, the day of the vernal equinox of 2013 came on March 20 at 3 pm and 2 minutes Moscow time. Around the same time, he will be in the next, 2014th. Then the day and time will change.
For a modern person, the days of the vernal equinox are only an informative event - this means that the day will now become longer than the night. In ancient times, people lived in unity with nature, and for them the semantic load was more voluminous. The Slavs these days celebrated the holiday of Komoyedits, which lasted 2 weeks. People burned a scarecrow that personifies winter and the prevalence of darkness in life, baked sacrificial breads (pancakes), dressed in costumes and acted out sketches, thereby invoking spring and celebrating the New Year.
First, the stuffed Morena (the goddess of winter and death) was taken on triples in the villages, sang majestic songs, and then, after burning, they solemnly buried. Then came the days of reverence for Bera - the bear. One of the men dressed up in the shoes of a beast. The rest gave him pancakes, entertained with songs and dances. These days ended the rite of awakening the bear. After seeing off the winter, the moment came for the glorification of Yarila, the deity of the sun. A handsome young man was dressed up as a bridegroom, they looked for him a bride, and they played their wedding. This symbolized the union of Yarila and Yarilikha as the personification of fertility and creation. From this moment it was believed that the renewal of all living things begins, good and light take effect. With the adoption of Christianity, this holiday smoothly moved to Shrovetide, but acquired a different meaning.
The New Year, or Novruz, was celebrated on this day in all the countries along which the Great Silk Road ran: in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. It was one of the largest holidays of the Aryans who inhabited these territories in antiquity. They worshiped the fire and the Sun, and therefore the prevalence of daylight hours for them meant the favor of heaven to man. On the eve of the holiday, all people had to make peace among themselves. In each house, jugs were filled with grain, water and milk, which was to attract good luck next year, a generous harvest, rich milk yields, and a good offspring of cattle. On the morning of the vernal equinox, a feast was held. Be sure to serve dishes filled with sprouted grains, which symbolized the coming of the New Year. After the peoples adopted Islam in these states, the holiday was accepted into the Islamic calendar.
