In March 2011, during the period of the Spring Equinox, an American man, Brian Spotts, stood 900 eggs on end in 26 hours in Hong Kong, and continued to balance a dozen eggs in one minute and 32 seconds, setting the world record for the fastest time to stand eggs upright both in quantity and in speed. He had been holding the Guinness record from 2005. And this time, he reclaimed it.

Thirty three year-old Spotts was determined to be the holder of the world record. He said that there are no tricks in standing the eggs upright. The most important thing is to try and practice.

It is not a coincidence that he chose the Spring Equinox day to break the record. It is said that on the annual Spring Equinox day in China, an egg can be set easily. This tradition originated 4,000 years ago as celebration of the coming of spring. People believe that if someone can make the egg stand, he will have good luck in the future.

The Spring Equinox has turned out to be the best time to play this game. Why is this? Some believe that on the day of the Spring Equinox, the day is as long as the night both in the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere. The axis of the earth, at an angle of 66.5 degrees, is relatively balanced against the orbital plane of the earth’s revolution around the sun, which allows for a state of balance in an erect egg.

Some people think that under the palatable climate and refreshing natural environment of mid-spring, the Spring Equinox eases people’s minds, making them agile in thinking and quick in action, which makes setting eggs upright possible.

According to astronomers and physicists, setting an egg has nothing to do with time, but with mechanics.

The most important thing is to shift the egg’s center of gravity to the lowest part of the egg. With this method, the trick is to hold the egg until the yolk sinks as much as possible. To do this, you should choose an egg about four or five days old, which makes it more likely for an egg yolk to sink down.

In addition, the shell surface is not smooth. If there are three bulges on the surface, the chassis can serve as a tray to hold up the whole egg.

Every Spring Equinox, numerous people try to balance eggs upright on a flat surface. This Chinese custom has become popularized all over the world.

Edited and translated by Wen Yi & Hou Zheng