The Vernal Equinox has all over the ancient world, and from the earliest times, been a period of rejoicing and of festivals in honor of the Sungod. 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning, page 36:
The rise of the patriarchate saw the overpowering of the female goddess by the male god. The moon-god gave place to the sun-god. The tables were turned with a vengeance. Not only was the male granted a share in the phenomenon of generation; he was given the main share. 1941, George Ryley Scott, Phallic Worship: A History of Sex and Sex Rites in Relation to the Religions of All Races from Antiquity to the Present Day, London: T. Werner Laurie, page 18: