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paper at the altar. The ashes are then mixed with the soil.

A few religious groups recognise the March vernal equinox of the northern hemisphere as the beginning of the New Year. These include Zoroastrians who refer to the New Year as "Now Ruz" and the Baha'i who call it "Naw Ruz". Zoroastrians trace their belief to Persia (modern day Iran) in the 7thcentury B.C. Part of the Zoroastrian tradition is to jump over fires as this practice symbolically strengthens the power of the sun in the New Year. Family tables are set with seven objects. Gifts from parents to children wait to be opened after the initial ritual.

"There are sprouting seeds (to symbolize food), coins (for riches), sugar (for sweetness), vinegar (for preservation), apples (for happiness), flowers (to show the abundance of the earth) and spices (for the spice in our lives). There is a candle for each member of the family, a decorated egg symbolizing life and the world, and an orange floating in a bowl of water. Everyone hopes to see the orange tremble in the water just as the New Year comes in." http://www.uga.edu/bahai/News/ 032198.html
Extracts from the Holy Book are read while candy is enjoyed. Then people say "Sad sal beh as in salha", which means "May you live a thousand years." At this point, children open their gifts.

The Baha'i, who originated from Persia in the mid 1800's, use many Zoroastrian symbols to celebrate the vernal equinox. However, their celebration also marks the end of a nineteen day cleansing fast from sunrise to sunset.

And then there are those today in the 21st century who subconsciously celebrate the coming of Spring around the vernal equinox. Flower festivals and the opening of private gardens for tour groups are becoming a feature of this time. On the home front, there is often a sudden urge to spring clean the house, open windows and women especially may embark on a shopping spree for new clothes.

But the Balinese adopt an unusual celebration of the vernal equinox. While they may follow the Gregorian calendar in the commercial world, they adopt two different calendars for their cultural worlds. One relates to the vernal equinox. Evil spirits are exorcised symbolically with fire on the day of the vernal equinox. And the Balinese New Year called Nyepi Day or the Day of Silence opens the next day. There is no traffic and no electronic media on this day.

World-wide, the vernal equinox is like a seasonal terminal where lifestyles and attitudes change. Notably, recorded traditions seem to be in countries with distinct seasons. Where is Africa? Where are the Pacific islands?

Bibliography
Customs and Holidays around the March Equinox http://www.timeanddate.com/cal endar/march-equinox-traditions .html
Vernal Equinox Traditions http://www.associatedcontent.c om/article/636637/many_easter_ traditions_origionated.html?ca t=34
Chichen-Itza in Mexico http://www.worldeventsguide.co m/event/1608/Chichen-Itza-Mexi co/Vernal-Equinox.html
Malta temples tour at the vernal equinox http://www.infohub.com/vacatio n_packages/5332.html
A pagan celebration of Spring http://paganismwicca.suite101. com/article.cfm/a_pagan_celebr ation_of_spring
Zoroastrianism and the Ba'hai http://www.uga.edu/bahai/News/ 032198.html
Bali's Day of Silence http://www.indo.com/culture/ny epi.html

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