Astronomical spring begins in Liepāja — tram notices that days have become longer than its route

While Riga is still arguing about what an equinox is and whether you can eat it, astronomical spring officially began in Liepāja today. The center of the solar disk crossed the celestial equator, and everything happened precisely at 10:01 AM, when Liepāja's tram had just departed from the Sugar Factory stop.

"I see that the light stays longer than usual," says tram driver Jānis Kalniņš. "Before, when I finished my shift, it was already dark, but now you can still see where you're going. That's progress." He does mention that the duration of sunshine doesn't affect the tram schedule, since it runs on its own time anyway.

A representative from Liepāja's Astronomy Society explains that the day actually became longer than the night on March 18th, but locals only noticed it now because they were previously busy with other things. "We don't have time to measure the amount of light every day," says local resident Aina. "We see it this way — if the tram runs in daylight, then it's daytime."

Astronomical spring will continue until the summer solstice on June 21st, but meteorological spring already arrived on March 1st. However, Liepāja residents believe that real spring begins when you can go outside without a winter jacket and not worry that the tram will break down from frost.