A special holiday on March 20 is the Spring Solstice: history, traditions, omens

At the end of March, Russia celebrates the vernal equinox — the light and dark parts of the day will be equal in duration and last for 12 hours. In 2026, it falls on Friday, March 20th. In the national calendar, the holiday is called the Spring Solstice and symbolizes renewal and the beginning of a new economic cycle. Read about its meaning, history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

Spring Solstice – 2026: the history of the holiday

On March 20, the day of the vernal equinox will come — at 17:46 Moscow time, the sun will cross the celestial equator and move from the southern part of the celestial sphere to the northern one. It is this moment that is considered the beginning of the astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

On the day of the vernal equinox, the sun rises almost exactly in the east and sets almost exactly in the west, and the length of day and night becomes almost the same. The date is not fixed rigidly and may fall on March 19, 20 or 21 — this is due to the peculiarities of the astronomical account of time and the movement of the Earth around the Sun. In the period from 2010 to 2050, in most cases it falls on March 20th. Only in 2044 and 2048 will it shift to March 19th.

For science, the equinox is an exact moment in celestial mechanics, and in popular culture this date is one of the main natural boundaries. The holiday is associated with the ancient agricultural calendar of the Eastern Slavs, in which the key points of the annual cycle were of particular importance — the winter and summer solstices, as well as the spring and autumn equinoxes.

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Long before the advent of astronomical explanations, the ancestors associated this day with the renewal of nature, the beginning of a new agricultural cycle, the purification of space and the hope of favorable changes.

Spring in the agricultural world meant not just an increase in air temperature, but the return of movement. Preparations for sowing operations began in the villages, roads dried up and carts were made, migratory birds returned, and the rhythm of daily life changed.

Traditions of the national holiday Spring Solstice on March 20

For peasants in Russia, the Spring Solstice holiday was the boundary between the winter and spring way of life. From that day on, the ancestors kept a closer eye on the weather, looked closely at the land, prepared for field work and tried to put the house and household in order to meet the new season fully armed.

The holiday had another name, Verbonositsa, because willow was one of the first to "respond" to the approach of heat. In Russia, this tree has been revered since pre-Christian times and attributed to it a special power. Its branches were kept in the house, used in rituals of purification and protection.

During the Spring Solstice, they symbolically "whipped" household members, especially children, to protect them from diseases. They also swept the floors to drive away spoilage, evil spirits and all the bad things that had accumulated over the winter.

The holiday was considered a time of great cleaning, home cleaning and tidying up after the long cold months. On this day, the housewives baked ceremonial pastries: buns, tortillas or small loaves in the shape of birds, most often larks, which were considered messengers of warmth, "messengers of paradise" who bring spring on their wings.

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Such treats were distributed to children, relatives, neighbors, and sometimes lifted up to the sky in their arms or placed on windows, as if inviting the sun and warmth to come into the house as soon as possible. With this ceremony, the peasants celebrated the new season, asked for a good harvest and well-being in the family. There was a belief that whoever first noticed the lark on this day would be accompanied by happiness, luck and prosperity all year round.

During the Spring Solstice, it was customary in the villages to light bonfires and guide pets through them. The ancestors endowed fire with purifying power, which will help cattle avoid diseases and maintain strength before starting household chores.

Unmarried girls on Verbonositsa were guessing about love in order to determine whether the new spring would bring happy changes in their personal lives. They tried to remember the dreams they saw on the night of the holiday — it was believed that they could turn out to be prophetic or at least hint at upcoming events.

What not to do on the Spring Solstice holiday

There were a number of strict prohibitions on the Spring solstice in Russia. The ancestors believed that the day when light and darkness come into balance affects the entire coming season. Irritation, anger, and harsh words can disrupt inner and domestic peace for a long time. Therefore, on a holiday, one should not quarrel and give free rein to heavy emotions — the conflict could drag on for a long time and bring trouble to the house.

What else you can't do on March 20:

• to succumb to gloomy thoughts and dwell on old grievances — together with them, a person carries the winter burden into the new season.;
• to take on new things, to make big plans — what you started will not work out, but what you have planned will not come true.;
• Going to bed late can cause trouble, deprive you of luck and prosperity.;
• Planting a willow tree risks bringing your own death closer;
• replant indoor plants — they will not take root well and eventually wither away.;
• to be alone — the whole year will be spent in sadness and mental heaviness.

Folk signs for March 20th

During the Spring Solstice, the peasants carefully observed nature in order to make a forecast of what spring would be like and what to expect from summer.

• A cold, frosty day leads to a prolonged spring;
• strong drops — the year will be fruitful;
• morning fog — for a wet summer;
• clear starry sky — the year will be dry;
• The larks are back for the holiday — spring is finally taking effect;
• the appearance of finches leads to prolonged cold weather.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the signs and strict prohibitions of Pavel Kapelnik's special holiday.