#EyeLoveLondon - The First Day of Spring

Monday March 19^th 2018
Get Outside

Inspiring perspectives of London Monday 19th - Sunday 25th March 2018

True to the phrase, March came in like a (very snowy) lion and even though it’s still snowing, in the next few days it promises to warm up and go out like a lamb. The changing of the seasons is one of our favourite things about living in this city - every week and month brings something different and a new perspective. This week it’s the spring equinox and we’re finding out what that is, what it means and how you can celebrate.

What is the spring equinox?

The equinoxes and solstices mark the changing seasons. Spring equinox is the first day of spring.

When is spring equinox?

Tuesday 20th March.

What happens on spring equinox?

It’s all to do with how the Earth is tilting towards the sun and when it crosses the equator. Spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere means it’s the start of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Equinox means “equal night” in latin and on the equinox the length of daylight and darkness will be roughly equal. After spring equinox (also called Vernal Equinox) the length of the daylight hours will get longer as the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun.

When do the other seasons start and end?

The length of daylight hours will now get longer until the first day of summer - Summer Solstice on 21st June, which is the longest day of the year. After that the Autumnal Equinox, which will take place on 23rd September this year, will see day and night being of equal length again and will mark the start of autumn. Finally, Winter Solstice falls on 21st December in 2018 and will mark the shortest day of the year and the beginning of winter.

What are the signs of spring?

If you have the option to walk all or some of the way to work then now’s the time. You’ll notice that the daffodils have started blooming (as well as 4,000 handmade daffodils that have appeared in Paternoster Square - ‘The Garden of Light’ created by Marie Curie). Also look out for crocuses, snowdrops, bluebells, the blossom on the trees and the birds in them getting more active and singing louder.

How do people celebrate spring?

Many festivals (like Easter, Holi, Passover, St Patrick’s Day) fall around the spring equinox. And there’s lots of other ways different cultures celebrate the Vernal Equinox...

Cleaning the house and repairing things
Displaying fresh flowers
Watching sunrise
Planting seeds
Visiting Stonehenge or other ancient monuments that were built aligned to the sun

What are the best things to do in London in the springtime?

Explore London’s hundreds of parks and gardens. According to the UN definition, London can actually be defined as a forest with it’s 8.4 million trees - nearly one for every person living here. See the new baby animals at the city’s farms. It’s also a great time to get on the Thames.

When do the clocks go forward?

Clocks go forward on March 25th at 1am which means we’ll lose an hour in bed but we’ll get lighter evenings.