A Turning Point
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
The spring equinox has always been a celebration of light.
For ancient civilisations, the spring equinox was far more than a calendar date, falling on 21st March; it was a cosmic pivot around which life, religion, and survival revolved. As the sun crossed the celestial equator, bringing equal day and night, these societies saw a powerful symbol of balance, rebirth, and the triumph of light over darkness .
This celestial event was literally set in stone. The ancient Egyptians aligned the Great Sphinx of Giza so that the equinox sun sets precisely over its shoulder, directly between the pyramids of Khafre and Khufu . Across the Atlantic, the Maya at Chichén Itzá crafted a dazzling spectacle: as the sun descends, a shadow serpent slithers down the pyramid of El Castillo, embodying the feathered serpent god Kukulcan . In Peru, the mysterious 13 towers of Chankillo (c. 500 B.C.) form a solar observatory, with the sun rising perfectly in the centre at equinox .
The equinox also dictated the rhythm of ritual and renewal. In Mesopotamia, the Akitu New Year festival celebrated the rebirth of nature and the god Marduk . Meanwhile, the Persian Empire gave us Nowruz: the "new day", a 13-day New Year celebration of spring that 300 million people continue today . Whether through shadow-chasing serpents or sacred fires, our ancestors understood that the turning of the seasons was worth building monuments to and celebrating forever.
Image Credits: StockSnap via pixabay.com
