Usage of Equinoxes and Solstice in Cultures

My first work as an engineer was programming worldwide traffic lights, with the need of a holiday calendar. It occurred me the a lot could be done with Spring and Fall Equinoxes (times of equal-length day and night) and the Summer and Winter Solstices (longest and shortest day, respectively) which have been recognized in all cultures. There are only four points in a solar year to which the lunar year may be anchored: vernal (spring) equinox; summer solstice; autumnal equinox; and winter solstice.(1) Different pagan civilizations used these different points as anchors, tying the lunar year to the longer solar year. Egyptians, watching for the rise of the star, Sirius, tied the beginning of their year to the summer solstice. The Indians of South America used the winter solstice.Depending upon the particular culture, the year began at different times. All ancient calendars were originally lunisolar. Because the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, it is necessary to have an anchor point which ties the lunar year to the longer solar year. Without this anchor point, holy festivals drift backward through the year by 11 days, from one year to the next.

As the muslim calendar does not fit within all other cultures I needed an exception table in my program: Ramadan drifts all through the solar calendar year. The Islamic calendar is not to be confused with a lunar calendar that is based on astronomical calculations (12 months adding up to 354.37 days). Each lunar month begins at the time of the monthly “conjunction”, when the Moon is located on a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. The Islamic calendar, however, the first day of each month is based on the first sighting of the hilal (crescent moon) shortly after sunset. If the hilal is not observed immediately after the 29th day of a month (either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets), then the day that begins at that sunset is the 30th. A sighting has to be made by one or more trustworthy men testifying before a committee of Muslim leaders. That lead to an astronomy with lots of observing ( and Rabic star names) and clerical controlled and refined incorrect understanding, but also to beautiful astrolabe based on Greek orthographic projection.

In current usage these each define the official beginning of a season — for example, summer begins’ around June 21st. Due to the insertion of a Leap Day on February 29th every four years, the exact dates of these astronomical events shift back and forth, with a total range of about 54 hours. Ancient people were very attentive to seasons and the Sun’s position in the sky, because their livelihood depended on planting and harvesting at the proper times (in relation to temperature and water). All eight of those special days were observed as pagan holidays of one sort or another. Occurring twice a year, there are two points of intersection by the Sun called the equinoctial points: (1) vernal and (2) autumnal. At this moment, the center of the Sun is observed vertically overhead on the Earth’s Equator -March 20/21 (Vernal) and September 22/23 (Autumnal) annually. So what does have to do with the relationship between Easter and the Vernal Equinox?

History has it that the death and resurrection of the Son of God occurred during the Jewish Passover, always celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal equinox occurs. According to the Council of Nicaea, in 325CE it was decreed that Easter would be celebrated the first full moon “on or after the March equinox”. If the full moon falls on Sunday, Easter is delayed one week or else it could fall on the same day as the Jewish Passover.This insures that Easter Sunday and the modern rabbinical Passover never coincide. Because of this the equinox not only determines when we are going to have Easter but many other moveable holidays and feasts that are not dependent on the Gregorian or Julian calendars—Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Ascension Day, Pentecost, or Holy Thursday all centered around the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. It was during Egypt’s Christian period from c.200-639 that the ancient Egyptian holiday, “Sham El Nessim”, began to be celebrated on Easter Monday, previously coinciding with the vernal equinox.

JANUARY

1
- Mary, Mother of God – Catholic Christian
- Feast of St Basil – Orthodox Christian
- Gantan-sai (New Years) – Shinto
- Holy Name of Jesus – Orthodox Christian
5
- Twelfth Night – Christian
- Guru Gobindh Singh birthday – Sikh
6
- Epiphany – Christian
- Feast of the Theophany – Orthodox Christian
- Dia de los Reyes – Christian
- Nativity of Christ – Armenian Orthodox
7
- Nativity of Christ ** – Orthodox Christian
13
- Baptism of the Lord Jesus – Christian
- Maghi – Sikh
15
- World Religion Day – Baha’i
17
- Blessing of the Animals – Hispanic Catholic Christian
18-25
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Christian
19
- Timkat- Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
20
- World Religion Day – Baha’i
24
- Mawlid an Nabi * ** – Islam
25
- Conversion of Saint Paul – Christian
26
- Tu BiShvat * – Jewish
27-30
- Mahayana New Year ** – Buddhist

FEBRUARY

2
- Candlemas – Christian
- Presentation of Christ in the Temple – Anglican Christian
- Saint Brighid of Kildare – Celtic Christian
- Imbolc and Sughnassad * – Wicca/Pagan Northern and southern hemispheres
3
- Four Chaplains Sunday- Interfaith
- Setsubun-sai – Shinto

·        6

Transfiguration Sunday – Christian

2nd New Moon after Winter Solstice (lunar calendar)

Chinese New Year – Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist

12
- Shrove Tuesday – Christian
13
- Ash Wednesday – Lent begins through March 23 Christian
14
- Nirvana Day ** – Buddhist
- Valentine’s Day – Christian
15
- Vasant Panchami ** – Hindu
- Nirvana ** – Jain
24
- Purim * – Jewish
- Triodion begins – Orthodox Christian
26 – March 1
- Intercalary Days * – Baha’i

MARCH

1
- Saint David of Wales – Christian
2 -20
- Nineteen Day Fast * – Baha’i
10
- Meatfare Sunday – Orthodox Christian
- Maha Shivaratri – Hindu
13
- L. Ron Hubbard birthday – Scientology
17
- St Patrick’s Day – Christian
- Cheesefare Sunday – Orthodox Christian
18
- Clean Monday – Lent begins – Orthodox Christian
19
- Saint Joseph’s Day – Christian

Spring (Vernal) Equinox
     
  Full Moon after SE - Passover
  Following Sunday   - Easter
  Previous Friday    - Good Friday

20 Equinox
- Ostara * – Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere (Saxon goddess of Spring)
- Mabon * – Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere
21
- Naw Ruz (New Year) * – Baha’i
- Norouz (New Year) – Persian/Zoroastrian
24
- Orthodox Sunday – Orthodox Christian
- Palm Sunday – Christian
25
- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin – Christian
- Pesach (Passover) First two days * – Judaism
26
- Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranhushtra) Zoroastrian
27
- Magha Puja Day ** – Buddhist
- Lord’s Evening Meal – Jehovah’s Witness Christian
- Holi ** – Hindu
28
- Maundy Thursday – Christian
- Hola Mohalla – Sikh
- Birth of Prophet Zarathushtra ** – Zoroastrian
- Good Friday – Christian
- Easter – Christian

APRIL

2
- Pesach – Last two days * – Jewish
7
- Yom HaShoah * – Jewish
11
- Hindu New Year ** – Hindu
11-20
- Ramayana ** – Hindu
14
- Baisakhi – New Year – Sikh
15
- Yom Ha’Atzmaut* – Jewish
20
- Ramanavani ** – Hindu
21
- First Day of Ridvan * – Baha’i
23
- St. George Day – Christian
25
- Hanuman Jayanti ** – Hindu
- Mahavir Jayanti ** – Jain
25-28
- Therevadin New Year ** – Buddhist
27
- Lazarus Saturday – Orthodox Christian
28
- Lag B’Omer * – Jewish
- Palm Sunday – Orthodox Christian
29
- Ninth Day of Ridvan * – Baha’i

MAY

1
- Beltane and Samhain * – Wicca/Pagan Northern and southern hemispheres
2
- Twelfth Day of Ridvan * – Baha’i
- National Day of Prayer USA – Interfaith
3
- Holy Friday – Orthodox Christian
5
- Easter/Pascha – Orthodox Christian
9
- Ascension Day – Christian
15-16
- Shavuot * – Jewish
19
- Pentecost (Whit Sunday) – Christian
23
- Declaration of the Bab * – Baha’i
25
- Visakha Puja – Buddha Day ** – Buddhist
26
- Trinity Sunday – Christian
29
- Ascension of Baha’u’llah * – Baha’i
30
- Corpus Christi – Catholic Christian

JUNE

5
- Lailat al Miraj * ** – Islam
7
- Sacred Heart of Jesus – Catholic Christian
13
- Ascension of Jesus – Orthodox Christian
16
- Guru Arjan Dev martyrdom – Sikh
19
- New Church Day – Swedenborgian Christian

June 20-22        Summer Solstice

21 Solstice
- Litha * – Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere
- Yule * – Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere
23
- Lailat al Bara’ah * ** – Islam
- Pentecost – Orthodox Christian
24
- Lailat al Bara’ah * – Islam
29
- Saints Peter and Paul – Christian
30
- All Saints – Orthodox Christian

JULY

- Ramadan begins * ** – Islam
- Martyrdom of the Bab * – Baha’i
11
- Saint Benedict Day – Christian
13-15
- Obon ** – Shinto -Buddhist
15
- Saint Vladimir Day – Christian
16
- Tish’a B’Av* – Judaism
22
- Asalhka Puja Day ** – Buddhist
24
- Pioneer Day – Mormon Christian

AUGUST

1
- Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Jesus – Orthodox Christian
- Lammas – Christian
- Lughnassad and Imbolc * ** – Wicca/Pagan Northern and southern hemispheres
3
- Laylat al Kadr * – Islam
6
- Transfiguration of the Lord – Orthodox Christian
- Eid al Fitr * ** – Islam
15
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Catholic Christian
- Dormition of the Theotokos _ Orthodox Christian
21
- Raksha Bandhan ** – Hindu
28
- Krishna Janmashtami ** – Hindu
29
- Beheading of John the Baptist – Christian

SEPTEMBER

1
- Ecclesiastical Year begins – Orthodox Christian
5-6
- Rosh Hashanah * – Jewish
9
- Ganesh Chaturthi ** – Hindu
10
- Paryushana Parva ** – Jain
14
- Yom Kippur* – Jewish
- Elevation of the Life Giving Cross – Holy Cross Day – Christian
19-25
- Sukkot* – Jewish

September 21-24           Fall (Autumnal) Equinox

22 Equinox
- Mabon * – Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere
- Ostara * – Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere
26
- Shemini Atzeret * – Jewish
27
- Simchat Torah * – Jewish
- Meskel – Ethiopian Christian
29
- Michael and All Angels – Christian

OCTOBER

4
- Saint Francis Day – Catholic Christian
5-13
- Navaratri ** – Hindu
- Waqf al Arafa – Hajj Day * ** – Islam
14
- Thanksgiving – Canada – Interfaith
- Dasera ** – Hindu
- Eid al Adha * ** – Islam
18
- Saint Luke – Apostle and Evangelist – Christian
20
- Birth of the Báb * – Baha’i
- Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth – Sikh
27
- Reformation Day ** – Protestant Christian
31
- All Hallows Eve – Christian

NOVEMBER

1
- All Saints Day – Christian
- Samhain and Beltane * – Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres
1-5
- Deepavali ** – Hindu
2
- All Soul’s Day – Catholic Christian
3
- Diwali – Deepavali ** – Hindu – Jain – Sikh
- Jain New Year ** – Jain
- Hijra – New Year * ** – Islam
12
- Birth of Baha’u’llah * – Bahai
- Ashura * ** – Islam
4
- Christ the King – Christian
14
- Winter Lent begins to 12/25 – Orthodox Christian
17
- Guru Nanak Dev Sahib birthday – Sikh
21
- Yule – Christian
24
- Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom – Sikh
26
- Day of the Covenant * – Baha’i
28
- Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha * – Baha’i
- Thanksgiving – USA – Interfaith
28-Dec 5
- Hanukkah * – Judaism
30
- Saint Andrew’s Day – Christian

DECEMBER

1 through 24
- Advent (first Sunday) – Christian
6
- Saint Nicholas Day – Christian
8
- Rohatsu – Bodhi Day ** – Buddhist
- Immaculate Conception of Mary – Catholic Christian
12
- Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe – Catholic Christian
16-25
- Posadas Navidenas – Christian

December 20-23            Winter Solstice

21 Solstice
- Yule * (Norse for “wheel”) – Germanic 12-day feastnorthern hemisphere
- Litha * – Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere
- Yule – Christian
24
- Christmas Eve – Christian
25
- Christmas * – Christian
26
- Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra)** – Zoroastrian
28
- Holy Innocents – Christian
29
- Feast of the Holy Family – Catholic Christian
31
- Western New Year Watch Night – Christian