Egg Standing and Equinox

Who says you can? The egg being the most literal and obvious of all fertility symbols, ancient eggish customs survive not only in the form of Easter eggs, but also in the quaint superstitious belief, most often attributed to the Chinese, that you can stand a raw egg on end during the equinox. This apparently derives from the notion that, due to the sun's equidistant position between the poles of the earth on the first day of spring, special gravitational forces apply.

It can be done, by the way, but the trick takes lots of patience, eggs of just the right shape, a pinch of salt if all else fails... and, frankly, it doesn't matter what day of the year you attempt it.

All this equinox-egg-balancing folderol is unscientific hooey, but don't let that stop you from gathering friends and family around to try it out yourself. At the risk of being boiled and dyed for heresy, I daresay there is more to life than science.

I don't know why it happens but my kids did it a few years ago and it worked but after quite a few attempts.

Re: Egg Standing and Equinox


It's a total fallacy.
You can balance an egg on it's end on any day of the year.
It's not an awfully difficult thing to do.

The reason it's possible is due to the rough surface of the egg. I know it feels smooth but take a look at it under a decent magnifying lens and you'll see what I mean.
The roughness of the surface you have it on is also a major factor.
The rougher the better. A kitchen worktop is usually pretty good as long as it's not polished granite or marble.
The surface imperfections in the egg and the worktop act like the legs of a tripod. When you get three of them in the right place the egg doesn't fall over.
Takes a little practice but it's not difficult.
Takes me about 10 seconds to get it balanced on my work top.