Ever wondered why South Africans get all excited and rush to social media to update their affirmations on Spring Day?
NOTE: This article has been updated with dates that reflect the 2024 calendar.
Why does South Africa celebrate Spring Day?
Well, the simple answer is that the first of September marks the end of winter and the start of great tropical weather.
South Africa often starts seeing an increase in international arrivals around this time. The weather conditions, matched with our prideful scenic environments, make our country one of the best travel destinations in the world.
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The magic of the spring season permeates on 1 September. There is unexplained energy that reverberates, and more often, this is accompanied by great weather conditions, marking the start of longer and sunny days.
Unfortunately, there is no historical significance attached to Mzansi’s celebration of Spring Day. We are a nation of jolly folk, and nothing gets us going more than warm weather.
We have some of the best beaches in the world, and spring offers us a great incentive to dust off our swimwear and hit the waves.
Is 1 September the start of the spring season?
However, the actual fact about Spring Day is, that the season has not ‘sprung’ yet.
Britannica explains it perfectly. You see, the spring season officially starts on Sunday, 22 September 2023.
This period is also known as the vernal equinox, a moment in the year when “the sun is exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length.”
“Also, either of the two points in the sky where the ecliptic (the Sun’s annual pathway) and the celestial equator intersect,” the publication notes.
In the northern hemisphere, the spring equinox happens on 21 March, when the sun moves north across the celestial equator.
Key features of the vernal equinox include:
- Equal Day and Night: On the day of the vernal equinox, the duration of daylight and darkness is roughly the same. This phenomenon occurs because of the specific angle at which Earth’s axis is tilted in relation to its orbit around the sun.
- Changing Seasons: The vernal equinox is a significant event for the changing of seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, it signifies the end of winter and the beginning of spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the transition from summer to autumn.
- Cultural Significance: The vernal equinox has cultural and historical significance in various societies and religions. It has been celebrated as a time of renewal, rebirth, and fertility in many cultures throughout history.
- Astronomical Alignments: The vernal equinox is also important in astronomy, as it is used to define the celestial coordinate system. It’s one of the two points (the other being the autumnal equinox) where the ecliptic (the apparent path of the sun across the sky) intersects with the celestial equator.
- Global Phenomenon: The vernal equinox is observed all around the world, and its timing may vary slightly each year due to the complexities of Earth’s orbit.
South Africans have taken to social media in celebration of Spring Day, and these are some of the best reactions we picked:
