On Saturday, the equinox for 2010 occurred at 17:32 Coordinated Universal Time, which signals the official commencement of spring season in the northern hemisphere. It is also called by names such as vernal equinox, spring equinox, or March equinox, and it marks the end of winters and the beginning of warmer and longer days for the approaching times.

The vernal equinox, that symbols the start of spring in the northern hemisphere, also signifies the launch of autumn in the southern hemisphere.

The name equinox is a derivative of the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).

On the March equinox, day and night are uniformly long, i. e., there are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night. This is because the sun is precisely upright the Equator and therefore during this time, the sun uses equal time above and below the horizon at every place on the Earth.

This is celebrated as a holiday by people all around the world, especially by those who reside in the harshest of climates on the planet and have certain cultural nuances attached to it, since ancient times.

The day also marks the start of numerous calendars, like the Iranian and the Bahá’í calendars.