Who would have thought that the first day of spring could be so complicated?!? Evidently, it is. Today is the first day of spring astronomically. This day will fluctuate between March 19, 20, and 21 based on the vernal equinox. “The vernal equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator. This is the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator, from south to north. The vernal equinox happens on March 19, 20, or 21 every year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, this same event marks the beginning of fall.”1 On this day, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive equal amounts of daylight and darkness.
However, March 1 marked the meteorological first day of Spring. “For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere (you can generally reverse this in the Southern Hemisphere), the coldest three months of the year are usually December through February.
“Contrast that with the warmest three months, which are often June to August. These are known as meteorological winter and summer…So meteorological spring – March 1 through May 31 – is the transition between the three coldest and three warmest months of the year.”2
Again, who would have thought it could be so complicated?!?
I’m all in favor of Spring being March 1 provided March 1 provides the warmth and beauty afforded by springtime. However, March 20th is probably a bit more realistic. Since I’m writing this devotional 21 days before the first day of astronomical Spring, I have no idea what the weather is going to be like. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting that “cooler-than-average temperatures are expected, with fluctuating warm and cold spells.”3 Humph! That’s the weather we’ve had the last couple of weeks of February! As you read this today, you will know just how accurate the Farmer’s Almanac was.
The Bible gives some beautiful descriptions of this season. Song of Solomon 2:11-13 says, “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; (12) The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; (13) The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell…”
Proverbs 27:25 gives two of my favorite smells of Spring. “The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.” There is nothing quite as sweet as the smell of the first cutting of hay or the grass!
Spring has always been associated with the end of Winter’s death march and the restoration of all that Winter touched. We see it in the trees, grass and flowers as they bud, 
blossom, and grow. We feel it in the air as the cold is pushed away by the warmer temperatures. We are invigorated as the drabness of Winter’s gray is replaced with the green of Spring. The smells of life abound!
Metaphorically, this has been used to describe what God does in a heart that has been “dead in trespasses and sins.” He brings that person to life with the newness of Spring in their heart. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
One day, this is going to happen to the nation of Israel and, once again, God compares it to the new life of Spring. Read Isaiah 61:11 with joy and expectation in your heart. “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/march/spring-begins-changes-annually
2https://weather.com/science/weather-explainers/news/2026-02-26-meteorologists-spring-equinox-meteorological
3https://www.farmersalmanac.com/farmers-almanac-spring-2026-forecast
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