People may not actually hibernate, but winter’s crisp, cold weather certainly seems to encourage many to hunker down. When spring arrives, it often seems like a universal celebration as everything reawakens and ventures out again. Sharing some spring trivia for seniors is a fantastic way to join the fun. How much do you know about spring? Keep reading to discover some fascinating facts to add to your trivia arsenal.
The first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is the vernal equinox. Vernal means spring. What about equinox? EarthSky explains that it’s formed by combining two Latin words: aequus, which means equal, and nox, which means night. Therefore, equinox translates into equal night.
In the Greek pantheon, Persephone serves as both the goddess of spring and the queen of the underworld. After being kidnapped by Hades, she was held prisoner in the underworld until her mother, Demeter, managed to convince Zeus to order her release. Unfortunately, by the time the order came through, Persephone had eaten a few pomegranate seeds in the underworld. As a result, she was forced to split her time between the living world and the underworld. Spring and summer were the time when she was free. Fall and winter, the time when nothing grows, were the result of her annual return to the underworld.
College kids weren’t the first to celebrate spring break. The Greeks had a similar tradition, according to Healthy Happy Impactful. Today, some 1.5 million students generally travel for spring break. However, partying isn’t the only possibility. Volunteering during this period is another popular choice.
While Americans tend to keep an eye out for robins to signal the start of spring, people in Japan watch the progress of the cherry blossoms. Of course, you can also enjoy that experience in the U.S. In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gifted the U.S. with roughly 3000 cherry trees, as the National Park Service reports. Today, thousands of people come to Washington D.C. each year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
If you’re superstitious or simply cautious, you may want to find reasons to be anywhere but Stull, Kansas, on the spring equinox. In his book “Weird U.S.: Your Travel Guide to America’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” author Mark Moran says that a graveyard in the town might contain a portal that allows the devil to travel between hell and the human world. It only opens twice a year. One date is, predictably, Halloween. The other date is the spring equinox.
Spring is a vibrant season that is richly experienced. The fresh, bright colors are only part of the tale. Aromas are also everywhere. It’s not just your imagination. Smells are actually able to hang in the air for a little longer in the spring because the air has more moisture.
On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his den to offer his forecast. If the groundhog manages to see his shadow among all the camera flashes, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring will come early. How did a groundhog become a predictor of spring? According to History, the answer lies in the tradition of Candlemas, when the clergy blessed and passed out candles. The Germans began to predict how long the winter would be by considering the weather during that period. Eventually, they incorporated hedgehogs or badgers into the proceedings. As people moved to America, they took their traditions, but they switched to groundhogs.
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Springing into a new season with new trivia is an enjoyable way to brighten your mood, challenge your mind, and make sure that you always have something fun to talk about.
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