The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, occurs on March 20 at 10:46 a.m., and if you aren't burning the Boogg this year, are you even really celebrating?
Locals in Zurich, Switzerland give winter the heave-ho with the burning of the Boogg, a custom that dates back to the Middle Ages. The Boogg, which roughly translates into "bogeyman," is usually represented as an 11-foot tall effigy of a snowman, which revelers hoist on a pyre and set aflame to let Old Man Winter know that he's worn out his welcome. The big finish comes when the flames reach the head, which is stuffed with firecrackers.
The ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula offers a spectacular show every equinox at El Castillo, a thousand-year-old temple to honor the serpent god Kukulkan. The setting sun casts a top-to-bottom shadow on the northern staircase that aligns with a snake head sculpture at the base. The result is a fantastic illusion of a snake slithering down the side of the pyramid and returning to the earth at the start of the planting season.
In Japan, Shunbun no Hi, or Vernal Equinox Day, is part of the seven-day Haru no Higan period, when Japanese families honor the spirits of deceased ancestors and loved ones. Observers visit burial sites and leave offerings of flowers, incense, and sweet rice balls to nourish their ancestors during their trek through the afterlife. Shunbun no Hi also marks the first day of cherry blossom season.