Although snow seems to be prevalent as I write this, the adage mulls in my mind, “Vernal showers bring May flowers.” You are probably more familiar with the maxim, “April showers bring May flowers.” The saying originates from the United Kingdom, where April is one of the soggier months based on the position of the jet stream. In 1557 a gentleman by the name of Thomas Tusser compiled a collection of writings he called A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry. In the Spring section he wrote: Sweet April showers; Do spring May flowers. The season of Spring begins with the vernal equinox.
The adjective vernal means of or relating to Spring. It comes from the Latin vernalis, which is derived from the Latin word for Spring, ver. The vernal equinox is on or about March 20 each year. If the earth revolved around the sun in exactly 365 days, then the vernal equinox would be the same date every year. However, the orbit of the planet is approximately 365.25 days. To compensate for this, calendars add an extra day [February 29] every four years. So, the vernal equinox occurs about 6 hours difference each year until a leap year. This current year the vernal equinox occurred on Sunday, March 20 at 9:32 am. Next year it will happen at 3:23 pm on Monday, March 20. In 2024, a leap year, The Spring equinox occurs on Tuesday, March 19 at 9:05 pm and on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 3:00 am.
The equinox is when the sun is directly overhead the equator as the earth’s axis is tilted neither towards nor away from the sun. On the equinox night and day are nearly about the same around the world. The Latin word equinox means equal night. On the vernal equinox this year, the sun rose in Moose Jaw at 7:05 am and set at 7:15 pm, close to the 12 hours for daylight. The autumnal equinox takes place in September each year.
Did you know that the fastest sunsets and sunrises happen at the equinoxes? The sun rises due east and sets due west so you can orient yourself fairly accurately on those days. The Great Sphinx of Geza looks directly at the sunrise on the Spring equinox. Druids gathered at Stonehenge at the sunrise of that day to mark the beginning of Spring. The vernal equinox is a holiday in Japan. It is the Iranian New Year according to the ancient Persian calendar.
The Temple of Kukulcan, at the centre of Chichen Itza in Mexico, was built by the Mayans (8th-12th century AD) to have a snake-like shadow appear to crawl down one flank on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The illusion is produced by small triangular shadows that are cast by individual steps on the pyramid as the sun goes down.
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngqTPYV_T2w ]
In a cemetery in the town of Stull, Kansas, lies the “gateway to hell.” So, author Mark Moran writes in Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. Lore has it that this gateway is one of several places around the world where the devil can enter the human world. One of the days he can do this is the vernal equinox.
Vernal can also imply that something is fresh or youthful. An elderly woman, who has not been vernal for some time, can feel like a teenager whenever her favourite song is played. The old man flushed with vernal energy as he chased his granddaughter around the yard in search of Easter eggs.
“Vernal showers bring May flowers” is a reminder that unpleasant things, even some snow in April, can bring about gratifying things. The proverb is a lesson in patience, to wait for the changes that may happen despite our perspective. This is something that we all need in these days. Have a delightful Vernal Season!
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
