How Spring Got It’s Name

Originally, spring was known as the Lenten season. It came from the old English lengthen, which means “to make it longer or greater in length.” Spring is when we begin getting more hours of sunlight after the short days in Winter, so it is no surprise that the season was originally named after the days growing longer. 

So, why is the season now called spring?

It was not until the 1300s that the term springing time replaced the season’s former name.  It was the time of year when most plants finally started to grow again, or spring from the earth, after being dormant during the winter and autumn. The season went through a few more changes over the next two centuries, becoming shortened to springtime before arriving at the title we now know: spring. Spring begins in March, but it doesn’t always start on the same day. Spring usually falls around the 19th, 20th, or 21st of March. An event that takes place in the spring is the Vernal Equinox. The Vernal Equinox is when there is an equal time of day and night, so there would be 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The first day of spring in the southern hemisphere is the first day of fall in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, spring lasts from August until November. One long-term study found that, at least in Colorado’s rocky mountain region, spring begins, on average, about three weeks earlier than it did in the 1970s. Did you know that when the Egyptians built the Great Sphinx, they built it t face directly toward the rising sun of the spring equinox? Did you know that in Poland, on the first day of spring, people gather to make a big bonfire to celebrate the new season. 

Wellbank, L. (2021, March 18). Where did the name “Spring” come from? Dictionary.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023, from https://www.dictionary.com/e/spring-meaning/?scrlybrkr