Falling on March 20 this year, the Spring Equinox, or Chunfen in Chinese, is the fourth solar term of the Chinese lunar calendar.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Spring Equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator, heading north. It marks the start of the spring season in the northern hemisphere.

According to ancient Chinese people's observations, after this day, migrating birds will return to the north and plants will become lusher with the help of increased rainfall.

Click on the video to see how to describe the beautiful breeze of the spring in a Chinese poem.

Where does the word equinox come from?

It comes from Latin. It is the combination of two words, aequus and nox, and refers to when the length of day and night are roughly equal.

What is the Spring Equinox?

Spring Equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator, moving north, bringing longer and warmer days in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter days in the Southern Hemisphere.

How does the Spring Equinox work?

The Earth spins on an axis that is tilted by 23.5 degrees relative to the sun. That is what divides night and day, giving us sunrise, sunset and, of course, the seasons. 

On Sunday, the Earth's axis will be the same as the sun's, so both the northern and southern hemispheres will get the same amount of sunlight. It will be the same at the next equinox, the Autumn Equinox, on September 23.

Let's appreciate the beautiful landscape and delicious feast of spring!