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Miscellaneous, Seasons

Welcome to Spring 2025

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Colorful Spring Garden
Photo:Anita Martinz(Flickr)

Today the March Equinox takes place ending winter and ushering in spring. To find out the exact time this will occur where you live, please go to www.timeanddate.com.

 

A sure sign spring is here is when lambs appear.
Spring Lamb In The Sunshine
Photo: Tanya Hall/publicdomainpictures.net

The March Equinox marks the moment where the Sun crosses the equator (an imaginary line in the sky above the equator) from south to north and usually occurs between March 19-21 every year. Both the March and September equinoxes are when the Sun shines directly on the equator making night and day nearly equal. This equinox is the transition from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere but the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere (summer into fall). Various cultures celebrate March equinox as a time of rebirth. Many spring festivals are timed to coincide with the equinox and some religious events (Passover and Easter) use specific calculations based on the equinox to help determine the exact day of the event.

Meteorologists however start spring on March 1 rather than by the March Equinox. The reason is that they divide the year into four quarters to make it easier to compare data and compile statistics. Meteorological seasons use annual temperature cycles rather than the position of the Sun. While astronomers follow the position of the Sun regarding equinoxes and solstices, meteorologists use the calendar to prevent problems since the dates of equinoxes and solstices can vary each year.

 Early spring is when the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the Sun resulting in more daylight for that part world where it spring is occurring. It is a time when the increased warmth results in more plant growth (spring forth as it used to be said and how spring got its name). The resulting warmth also makes snow melt causing streams to swell and frosts to diminish. For areas that get little or no snow, ground temperatures will increase quickly as well. Despite spring beginning in March, in areas where there is no snow early plant growth can begin as early as February (or August down below). Arctic zones may not experience spring until May.

Solstices and Equinoxes
Image: NASA

 

Due to the reversal of seasons in the Southern Hemisphere, Easter is celebrated in Autumn. The Allhallowtide (Halloween, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day) is celebrated in Spring.

Despite the change of the seasons–both calendar and meteorologically speaking–winter does continue in many places. And with it can come unpredictable weather which my favorite feline Garfield illustrates it perfectly. Garfield is outside. First it is warm and sunny. Then cold and rainy. Then back to warm and sunny. And then rain again and then another dry day. Finally, Garfield yells in exasperation “Will you make up your mind?” The next frame is split with one half having rain and the other half sunny. And it is more accurate than most of us want to believe.

There are two sayings that get the season right, courtesy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

Bluebirds are a sign of spring; warm weather and gentle south breezes they bring.

 One swallow does not make a spring.

 

Welcome to Spring!

 

For Further Reading

“March Equinox,” last modified March 11, 2025, https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/march-equinox.html.

Catherine Boeckmann, “First Day of Spring 2025: The Spring Equinox,” Almanac.Com, last modified March 12, 2025, https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox.

———. “March Equinox 2025: All You Need to Know.” EarthSky | Updates on Your Cosmos and World. Last modified February 26, 2025. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-vernal-or-spring-equinox/.

 

 

Miscellaneous

Welcome to October

Halloween Decoration in Fall
Vera Kratochvil
Publicdomainpictures.net

October is the 10th month on the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Under the old Roman calendar this was the eighth month and retained its name. October in the Northern Hemisphere begins the full transition to Autumn while in the Southern Hemisphere it is Spring.

Jack-o-lantern Pumpkins Glowing in the Dark
Petr Kratochvil, publicdomainpictures.net

Autumn harvests are underway this month with apples, artichokes, cranberries, pears, and pumpkins becoming widely available in many areas. Pumpkins are important this time of year as decorations and the source for pumpkin pie and delicious roasted pumpkin seeds. In Ireland they used to use turnips to keep old Stingy Jack from entering their homes this time of the year. Carving them into menacing faces and with a candle near them, it would send old Stingy Jack (and any other ghost) away! When the Irish came to America, they found the pumpkin. Unlike a turnip, which is not so easy to carve, the pumpkin was much easier to use. And you could put a candle inside it was well. Soon this tradition, and many others they brought with them, would end up becoming a major Halloween icon in the United States.

October also brings with it Oktoberfest, a major event in Munich, Germany that spread into Europe, the United States and South America. It began in 1810 to honor a Bavarian royal wedding and now is in many places like a carnival with rides, lots of German themed food and of course beer. Beer of all kinds, especially craft beers find their ways to such events to be judged. Octoberfest usually goes from mid-September to October (it used to end on the first Sunday in October) but it usually goes on later these days. One figure estimates the consumption of beer to be around 1.85 million gallons (7 million liters) of beer. Now that is a lot of beer!

The first full moon of October is often called Hunter’s Moon. For 2024, it will be a super moon. During October the Moon orbits closer to Earth than any other time of the year. In the years when it is a super moon, it will look bigger and brighter than usual. And near sunset, it can appear larger and more orange. It certainly is important for this time of year when, according to some beliefs, the walls separating dimensions seems to thin allowing for ghosts and other things to be seen. In Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, it is this time of year that a traveling carnival appears looking for souls to ensnare.

Haunted House
JL Field
publicdomainpictures.net

Of course, the big event in October is Halloween or more properly All Hallows Eve on October 31. What used to be a day to prepare for the feast of All Saints and All Souls Days now has morphed into an event primarily for children to put on masks and ask neighbors for a treat. Haunted House exhibits are open, hayrides through a haunted landscape, and of course scary movies to watch. We get the obligatory Halloween themed commercials and lots of scary themed promos. Many parents opt to have simpler old-fashioned celebration with friends and children assembling for food, entertainment, and of course hearing very spooky stories.

Miscellaneous

Autumn Equinox Today (22 Sep 2024)

There are two equinoxes in the year, Autumn (September) and Spring (March). When these equinoxes occur the sun is directly on the equator, and the length of day and night is almost equal. In the Northern hemisphere, the September Equinox heralds autumn but the opposite below the equator where it heralds the beginning of spring.  Go here to see the time it begins in your area.

Solstices and Equinoxes
Image: NASA

For those of us in the North, it means a transition from summer to winter.  During this period  days start getting shorter and nights longer. Depending on where you live, you will likely have moderate warm days followed by long and cooler nights. Harvests of many crops often take place during the fall and in the old days you would make preparations to store food for the winter. Harvest festivals are very popular and in particular Halloween. Pumpkins begin appearing along with all kinds of Halloween decor culminating, of course, in All Hallows Eve (Halloween) on October 31.

Photo:David Wagner(publicdomainpictures.net)

Shop for all things Halloween at the Halloween Store

Seasons

Welcome to Spring

Colorful Spring Garden
Photo:Anita Martinz(Flickr)

Today the March Equinox takes place ending winter and ushering in spring. To find out the exact time this will occur where you live, please go to www.timeanddate.com.

A sure sign spring is here is when lambs appear.
Spring Lamb In The Sunshine
Photo: Tanya Hall/publicdomainpictures.net

The March Equinox marks the moment where the Sun crosses the equator and usually occurs between March 19-21 every year. Both the March and September equinoxes are when the Sun shines directly on the equator making night and day nearly equal. This equinox is the transition from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere but the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere (summer into fall). Various cultures celebrate March equinox as a time of rebirth. Many spring festivals are timed to coincide with the equinox and some religious events (Passover and Easter) use specific calculations based on the equinox to help determine the exact day of the event.

Solstices and Equinoxes Image: NASA

Early spring is when the Earth’s axis increases its tilt relative to the Sun resulting in more daylight for that part world where it spring is occurring. It is a time when the increased warmth results in more plant growth (spring forth as it used to be said and how spring got its name). The resulting warmth also makes snow melt causing streams to swell and frosts to diminish. For areas that get little or no snow, ground temperatures will increase quickly as well. Despite spring beginning in March, in areas where there is no snow early plant growth can begin as early as February (or August down below). Arctic zones may not experience spring until May.

However, despite all this, winter can and does often continue on in many places. And spring also heralds unpredictable weather. There is a funny Garfield cartoon that illustrates it perfectly. Garfield is outside. First it is warm and sunny. Then cold and rainy. Then back to warm and sunny. And then rain again and then another dry day. Finally, Garfield yells in exasperation “Will you make up your mind?” The next frame is split with one half having rain and the other half sunny.

Welcome to Spring!

 

Christmas, Titanic

Titanic News for New Year’s Eve 2023

 “Look Inside ‘Titanic’ Mansion That Went Unseen for Over 100 Years.” Liverpool Echo, 30 Dec. 2023, www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/gallery/photos-inside-titanic-mansion-went-28318363.

These photos offer a look inside a historic mansion with links to the Titanic which went unseen by the public for 140 years. Beach Lawn House is a stunning Victorian Villa in Waterloo, that was built for Thomas Henry Ismay who founded the White Star Line. He paid £2,500 for the Grade-II listed house on December 17, 1860.

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 “New Titanic-inspired Cookbook Plays Out Against the Real — and Reel — Worlds of the Ship – Chicago Sun-Times.” Chicago Sun-Times, 26 Dec. 2023, chicago.suntimes.com/taste/2023/12/27/24012380/new-titanic-inspired-cookbook-recipes.

Hinke’s latest book, “Titanic: The Official Cookbook: 40 Timeless Recipes for Every Occasion” (Insight Editions, 144 pages), celebrates the culinary elegance and history of the ship as seen through the lens of James Cameron’s Oscar-winning film “Titanic,” which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its release in 2022.

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“Charles Joughin: How Whiskey Saved the Head Baker of the Titanic.” History Defined -, 24 Dec. 2023, www.historydefined.net/charles-joughin.

Although the extravagance of the voyage is well known, the pastries that Joughin was responsible for creating are not why he is remembered. Instead, Joughin is best known for his remarkable survival in the face of imminent death. Historians and scientists attribute his survival to one thing: the sheer amount of alcohol he consumed that night.

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A Massive Titanic Exhibition ‘Using Imagery and Audio’ Is Sailing Into Birmingham in 2024.” Secret Birmingham, 21 Dec. 2023, secretbirmingham.com/titanic-exhibition-birmingham.

[I guess this comes under the heading of advanced notice! This exhibition does not begin till July 2024, so I guess the promoter sent out notices to the local media. People will rush to the article thinking that this opens soon in Birmingham (UK) only to find they have many months to wait. I guess you can watch several Titanic movies and books while you wait for it to open.]

But a titanic ‘Titanic Exhibition’ will soon tell its tragic story like you’ve seen never before when it comes to Birmingham in 2024. Tracing the ocean liner’s journey from its construction at a shipyard in Belfast, through its fateful voyage, to its rediscovery at the bottom of the ocean. You’ll be able to see everything from interactive exhibits to footage of the wreckage, as well as props from the 1997 blockbuster film.

 Sailing into the NEC Birmingham from Saturday, July 27 to Sunday, August 25, 2024, the exhibition will use imagery, audio and real objects from the Titanic to convey life onboard the ship. Visitors will be able to see items and read stories about the first, second and third-class passengers, plus crew and engineers. There’s even a photographic collection from onboard passenger and survivor, Father Browne.

Wishing Everyone a Joyful and Prosperous New Year. 

Happy New Year (publicdomainpictures.net)
Photo: Larisa Koshkina