Celebration of the Vernal Equinox at Chichen Itza Festival

Celebrated on the 21st of March.

Chichen Itza, one of the Mexico’s most famous and best preserved Mayan ruins, is situated on the Yucatan Peninsula. In each year on the Vernal Equinox, a beam of sunlight, as it hits the great El Castillo pyramid, brings into life a shadowy form that creates the illusion of a huge serpent slithering down its side.

                                       

The Aztecs held that this serpent was the feathered snake god, Quetzalcoatl, also Kukulcan of the Mayas. Since the time of the discovery of the annual awakening of the serpent god some 45 years ago, tourists from around the world have gathered on the site on the 21st of March. Not many are familiar with the fact that the snake can be observed four days before and after the equinox.

Tourists, waiting impatiently for the moment when the serpent becomes visible, can spend the time enjoying folk dancers, musicians, and poets. When finally the hours of sunlight equal the hours of darkness, the shadowy form of the serpent slides into view.

Although Quetzalcoatl can also be observed at the Autumnal Equinox in September, this being the rainy season, there is a fairly real chance cloudy weather might get in the way of enjoying the effect.