Spring arrived today to the Northern Hemisphere at 5:01 am.
Spring arrived today to the Northern Hemisphere at 5:01 am. American Indian Tribal Leaders from tribes across North Carolina joined Indigenous peoples from across the globe to welcome in the first day of Spring with thanksgiving and prayer in a ceremony at Town Creek Indian Mound in Mt. Gilead. The N.C. American Indian Heritage Commission coordinated the event. The tribal leaders prayed for their families, community, peace, wellness, blessings for youth and much more. During the ceremony, sunlight shown through the sky light of Town Creek Temple Mound to illuminate the sacred alter at noon today. Culturally, the Spring Equinox is the beginning of a new year for Native People. It is a time to start anew.
Town Creek was home to Native peoples spanning thousands of years. It was an ancient ceremonial site and village with a platform mound. During the early Town Creek phase (A.D. 1150-1250) the site started out as a village of circular houses around a plaza. At about A.D. 1250, the platform mound was built.
The vernal equinox or the first day of spring is determined by where the Earth is in its orbit around the sun. On this day, the Earth's axis is not tilted toward or away from the sun, causing roughly an equal amount of sunlight and dark hours at all latitudes.
