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For many, the arrival of spring is highly anticipated.
It announces the end of snowy cold days, and the beginning of hotter climates.
In other words, spring is synonym to new beginnings. Here are a few facts about spring to get ourselves ready for this awaited season.
Name history
In Old English, spring was firstly called “Lent” until the 14th century, where its name changed for “springing time”, referencing to plants “springing” from the ground. The named changed again in the 15th century and got shortened to “spring-time”. Then, it shortened once more in the 16th century to “spring”, as the name we know now.
Vernal equinox
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The first day of spring is called the vernal equinox, as “Vernal” means “spring” in Latin, and “equinox” stands for “equal night” in that same language. The Vernal Equinox has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. It is a phenomena which happens when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is not facing towards or away from the sun, which then increases the number of daylight hours and brings warmer weather.
Daylight saving
During spring, daylight saving time happens, and the clocks are advanced by one hour. It usually begins in March in North America. However, Arizona and Hawaii don’t follow daylight savings as they already have enough sunlight and hot weather. Using daylight saving time would then only confuse the sleeping cycle of their residents.
Flowers
Spring is known for being the season of blooming. During that time, many trees, flowers, plants and bulbs begin to grow because of wider availability of water, light, warmth and soil. The first spring flowers are typically dandelions, daffodils, lilacs, lilies, iris and tulips, among some others. In Japan, the cherry blossom is not only its national flower, but its arrival in March or April also signals the start of spring.
Easter, April Fool’s Day, Earth Day, Groundhog Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Arbor Day, only to name a few, represent a variety of holidays celebrated during spring. In China, the celebration of Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, meaning it varies every year. But is usually celebrated during Li Chun or beginning of the spring. For this reason, it is also called Spring Festival. This celebration lasts for 12 days, where each of the lunar cycles corresponds to an animal sign.
Wild life
Spring is very beneficial for wild life. Most wild herbivores living in season parts of the world have babies in the early spring to give them the best chance of growing large, strong, and gaining some weight before winter.
Spring fever
Spring fever is a term applied to several symptoms affecting humans physically and psychologically that are associated with the arrival of spring. Many researchers have documented noticeable patterns of behavioral changes in those studied during the springtime. They also claim that the body might change due to different diets, hormone production, the temperature and increased light. However, spring fever is not a medical term, so it is not considered as a disease or malfunction of the human body.
Download our Hello Spring extension for Google Chrome and enjoy HD wallpapers of spring every time you open a new tab.
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