MARCH 20TH IS the first day of spring, or vernal equinox, as astronomers would have it. "Equinox" means, literally, "equal night." As the tilt of the earth's axis changes throughout the year, lengthening or shortening the days according to season and hemisphere, there are two times annually when day and night are of equal duration: the spring and autumnal equinoxes.
This celestial phenomenon has been recognized for thousands of years and has given rise to a considerable body of seasonal folklore.
Eostra > Estrogen > Easter
Spring has been celebrated throughout human history as a time of organic and spiritual rebirth, following the "dying of the year" in winter. The ancient Germanic festival of Ostara (in honor of the goddess also known as Eostra, from whose name the word estrogen was derived) celebrated the cyclical return of light and life with fertility rituals and symbols, some of which still survive in the modern observance of Easter (also derived from "Eostra"), which traditionally falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
Eggs in the balance
The egg being the most literal and obvious of all fertility symbols, ancient eggish customs survive not only in the form of egg rolling and Easter eggs, but also in the quaint superstitious belief, most often attributed to the Chinese, that you can stand a raw egg on end during the equinox. This apparently derives from the notion that, due to the sun's equidistant position between the poles of the earth on the first day of spring, special gravitational forces apply.
For the skeptically inclined, the first objection that comes to mind is the fact that there is also an equinox on the first day of autumn. Why is there no talk of balancing eggs in September? Secondly, while it is true that on both equinoxes the earth's axis is perpendicular to the sun so day and night are of exactly equal length, there is no scientific reason to suppose that alignment has any appreciable effect on the force of gravity on earth. Thirdly, if the equinox can cause this curious anomaly, why not others? Why do we not hear of balancing toothpicks, pencils, lollipops or broomsticks on end on the first day of spring?
A pinch of salt
It can be done, by the way -- balancing eggs, I mean -- but the trick takes lots of patience, eggs of just the right shape, a pinch of salt if all else fails... and, frankly, it doesn't matter what day of the year you attempt it.
The Bad Astronomy home page rightly condemns all this equinox-egg-balancing folderol as unscientific hooey, but don't let that stop you from gathering friends and family around to try it out yourself. At the risk of being boiled and dyed for heresy, I daresay there is more to life than science.
