Spring Equinox 2017: New Google Doodle Marks the First Day of Spring

Blizzards and storms notwithstanding, spring is officially here.

A new Google Doodle launched Monday to mark the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, which is the point in the year when the day and the night are both 12 hours long, after a winter of shorter days and longer nights.

Google says that Monday’s 12-hour day is the case nearly “everywhere in the world” as the sun crosses the equator. Its Doodle features flowers and a bunny rabbit to mark the change in seasons.

The word “equinox” actually comes from the Latin words for “equal” and “night.” The spring event is matched by the autumnal equinox, which falls in September in the Northern Hemisphere.