This week we observed one of the most under-rated occasions of the year. We celebrated the spring equinox, one of two points of the year when we have nearly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. It’s also the official dividing line between winter and spring.

I like the spring equinox. It’s a time when warm, bright days are right around the corner. We can start to think about things like cleaning out the garage and planting a garden.

It’s counterpart is the fall equinox that divides summer from fall. The shortest day of the year in December is the winter solstice. The longest day in June is the summer solstice.

The June occasion is the only one of the four that gets some special attention. Some people make it a point to sit outside on the longest day of the year until the sun goes down. Otherwise they’ve always flown low on the radar screen. That might be because they have ties to myths, to ancient Pagan beliefs.

Myths aren’t altogether bad. They came into existence because societies of the time periods didn’t understand how the Earth works. That’s didn’t know, so they made things up.

One of the most famous Greek myths explains the yearly change of seasons. The God of the underworld, Hades, wanted to claim a maiden named Persephone as his wife. Her mother, goddess of the harvest and earth Demeter, didn’t want to give her up.

Zeus, the king of the gods, heard both sides and issued a decree. He declared that Persephone would live six months a year on Earth with Demeter and six months with Hades in the underworld.

We therefore started to have summer because Demeter was joyous when Persephone was home and everything flourished. Demeter became distraught each year when she had to leave and allowed all of the vegetation to die.

The story served a purpose until science proved it wrong. It was a convenient way to explain a mystery of the natural world.

The rise of monotheism (God as one supreme being) changed society’s view of the myths. They were Pagan, and things that were Pagan were often classified as evil.

It’s very clearly expressed in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 19th century short The Maypole of Merry Mount. Puritans destroy a maypole decorated with flowers and garlands. It was basically harmless.

It was far fetched for Puritans to regard the maypole as evil, but that kind of mentality can take root when religious belief becomes extreme.

In modern times we’ve became much more comfortable blending religious observance with secular concepts. Most people are okay with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, maybaskets and Casper the Friendly Ghost. They can blend in with the serious side to holidays. Maybe we should start to take equinoxes and solstices more seriously. Maybe we should plan some festivals around them.

They are definitely special occasions. They show the continuity of the seasons, something that can be relied upon every year. Many people prefer the lighter days. Research shows that people’s sleep and moods are affected by darkness even in areas where winter is mild.

The long days are always worth waiting for. They’re the opposite of Christmas, not as full of fanfare but still a very special part of the year.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent