Winter leaves with a bang in Zurich, Switzerland, where locals explode an 11-foot-tall snowman-like effigy in a tradition dating to the Middle Ages. Centuries ago on the vernal equinox, Zurich’s young boys burned figures of a menacing masked character called the “Böögg,” which roughly translates to “bogeyman” in German. By the 1890s, the torching of the Böögg, which came to represent winter in the form of a stuffed snowman, highlighted the city’s Sechseläuten spring equinox festival. Although the celebration moved to the third Monday of April in 1952, the burning of the Böögg atop a pyre continued to symbolize Old Man Winter’s banishment. Much like the groundhog, the Böögg is said to possess meteorological forecasting powers. The faster it takes for the effigy to burn and its firecracker-stuffed head to explode, the warmer and sunnier summer is expected to be.

Every equinox, thousands gather in the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to witness an awe-inspiring illusion. As the sun sets on El Castillo, a temple to the feathered serpent god Kukulkán built around 1000 A.D., it casts a shadow onto the northern staircase. That top-to-bottom shadow, aligning to the large snake head sculpture at its base, makes it appear as if Kukulkán is slithering down the side of the sacred pyramid. While the Mayans possessed advanced astronomical knowledge, it remains unclear if the architects of Chichen Itza intentionally designed this visual effect to symbolize Kukulkán’s return to earth, marking the start of the planting season.

During the Hindu festival of Holi, held near the vernal equinox on a date dictated by the lunar cycle, millions of people fill the streets of India and Nepal dressed in all white. But they don’t stay spotless for long. Merrymakers smear each other with brightly colored powder made from plant extracts and douse each other squirt guns and balloons filled with pigmented water. Dating back to the 4th century, Holi—which includes music, dancing and exchanges of sweets—heralds spring’s arrival and recalls Hindu legends, according to the Encyclopedia of New Year’s Holidays Worldwide. The “festival of colors” likely originated from the story that the mischievous Hindu deity Krishna, fearing his beloved Radha would reject him due to his dark blue complexion, playfully colored the milkmaid’s fair skin during a game. Large bonfires lit during Holi commemorate the immolation of the demon Holika by the Hindu god Vishnu, signifying the victory of good over evil.

The vernal equinox coincides with the Persian New Year and the start of the 13-day festival of Nowruz (Persian for “new day”), which originated approximately 3,000 years ago, according to the United Nations. Celebrated by millions in Iran and neighboring Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries, Nowruz is a secular holiday rooted in Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion practiced in ancient Persia. Pre-festival rituals include a meticulous spring cleaning, known as “khaneh tekani,” to purge a home’s negative energy, and jumping over fire to symbolically cleanse the prior year’s bad experiences. Children traditionally receive small gifts and play with brightly colored eggs. Celebrants prepare the ceremonial Haft-Seen table that features seven symbolic objects starting with the letter “S” in the Persian language—apples (seeb) for beauty, garlic (seer) for health, vinegar (serkeh) for patience, hyacinth (sonbol) for spring, sweet pudding (samanu) for fertility, sprouts (sabzeh) for rebirth and coins (sekeh) for wealth[MS1] . On the last day of Nowruz, the sprouts are thrown into moving water in a final ritual that represents the letting go of misfortunes.

With religious roots in Buddhism and Shinto beliefs, Japan’s Shunbun no Hi (Vernal Equinox Day) marks a time of reflection and renewal. The public holiday is part of the seven-day Haru no Higan period—dating back 1,000 years—that honors the spirits of deceased ancestors and loved ones. According to Jeanne Jacob, author of Food Cultures of Japan, traditionally, many Japanese visit family burial sites and tend to their ancestors’ graves. Based on the belief that the Buddha guides lost souls to the afterlife when day and night are equal, they leave offerings of incense, flowers and traditional sweet rice balls called “botamochi” to nourish their ancestors for their journeys in the afterlife. Prior to World War II, the equinox had been a Shinto holiday to venerate Japanese emperors. Following the adoption of a post-war constitution that mandated the separation of state and religion, the equinox was reconstituted as a secular holiday in 1948. Shunbun no Hi also coincides with the start of cherry blossom season, when many Japanese picnic amid the flowering trees.

It’s an old wives’ tale that eggs can only stand upright on the spring and autumn equinoxes due to gravitational and celestial forces caused by the earth’s unique alignment with the sun. With a little skill and patience, eggs with the proper center of gravity can be balanced any day of the year. The tradition of balancing eggs, a common fertility symbol to mark spring’s arrival is thought to have originated in China. On Li Chun, the traditional Chinese start of spring, celebrants balance upright eggs as a sign of good luck and prosperity for the coming year. When American newspapers reported on the custom in 1945, even Albert Einstein doubted that eggs could be stood on end. While Li Chun is usually celebrated in early February, some Chinese communities decorate eggs and attempt the delicate balancing act on the spring equinox as well.