[caption id="attachment_81779" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Spring Equinox 2014: Google Celebrates The First Day Of Spring With Doodle[/caption]Spring 2014 Begins!

The vernal equinox, also known as the spring equinox, began shortly after midnight on March 20th this year in the Northern Hemisphere.

As they do every year, Google has offered a doodle to celebrate the turning of the season.

The illustration features a line drawing of a man holding a watering can.

As he sprinkles the home page with water, the letters which spell out Google spring up from the search box covered in orange and red flowers.

The feature then becomes a link through to information about the vernal equinox which is marked today - March 20.

The vernal equinox is known by astronomers as the day of the year when the sun crosses over the Earth's equator and there is almost equal amounts of light and day.

[caption id="attachment_81780" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Spring Equinox 2014: Google Doodle[/caption]

The date usually marks the beginning of longer days and shorter nights in the North. In actuality, the trend toward longer days started on March 17th in 2014.

Historically, the date of the spring equinox has been recognized on March 19th, 20th or 21st. Besides the date chosen by astronomers, different cultures celebrate the event on different days and the date can also depend on time zones. Vernal equinox celebrations will continue through the month of March around the world.

[caption id="attachment_81778" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Spring Equinox 2014: Google Celebrates The First Day Of Spring With Doodle[/caption]