A Blessed Spring Equinox
Today is the vernal (spring) equinox*. It is the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Wiccans, Heathens, and various modern Pagans celebrate this day as Ostara, Lady Day, or simply the spring equinox (autumnal equinox for our Australian friends). Several current secular Easter traditions including the Easter Bunny, and dying/decorating eggs are considered remnants of pre-Christian spring celebrations. It is a time for the celebration of the renewal of life.
“Eostre” by Thalia Took
Here are some quotes from the press (and Pagans) on this day.
“The Spring Equinox has long been observed as the start of a new year throughout much of the world, which only makes sense. New life. New beginnings. New season. New Year. It is such a natural correlation. The spring, when birds lay their eggs, when plants and animals are born, when all of nature is refreshed, replenished, renewed, is a perfect time to begin a new year. March 25 was celebrated as New Year’s Day in America as late as 1752 when Great Britain and her colonies adopted the new Gregorian calendar, which declared that, henceforth, January 1 would be the new New Year.” – Donna Henes, The Huffington Post
“It’s a lovely holiday for children,” [Wiccan Priestess Byron] Ballard said. “The first chance to get out and see what’s growing, to welcome baby chicks and lambs, to taste the first little green bits of chickweed. All pagan and wiccan holidays are family-friendly. Many Earth religionists choose to honor their spiritual traditions as a family group.” – Carole Terrell, Asheville Citizen-Times
“After almost a week of St Patrick’s festivals the spring equinox brings the chance to get in touch with our more ancient ancestors and wonder at their mastery of the heavens. All weekend, members of the public can experience the equinox illumination of the Cairn T chamber at Loughcrew, Co Meath. The cairns at Loughcrew form the largest complex of passage graves in Ireland, and twice a year the chamber is illuminated by the rays of the rising sun.” – Luke Cassidy, Irish Times
“Many cultures mark the first full moon after the equinox, for example, the festival of Dionysus in Greece lands on the first full moon following equinox … The old name for April was Eosturmonath, named after Eostre, the Goddess of spring and dawn. It also gives us the word eostrogen, associated with female fertility … Hares were sacred in pre-Christian times. They are renowned for being fertile – there are even stories of them being able to become pregnant while they are pregnant, of them sleeping during the day with their eyes open, coming out at night, leaping and so on. When Queen Boadicea faced the Roman army, she let a hare out before her army to rally them, so potent a symbol were they.” - Stephen Sayers, head of social sciences at Leeds Metropolitan University, Yorkshire Evening Post
“High Feast of Ostara: This is the Spring Equinox. The end of Winter and the beginning of the season of rebirth. Today we honor Frigga, Freya and Nerthus with blot and feast. Pour a libation of mead onto the Earth; celebrate the rebirth of nature, Asatru, and the new hopes of our Folk.” – Asatru Holidays, The Asatru Alliance
“Naturally, this is the season to celebrate the victory of life over death, as any nature lover will affirm. And the Christian religion was not misguided by celebrating Christ’s victory over death at this same season. Nor is Christ the only solar hero to journey into the Underworld. King Arthur, for example, does the same thing when he sets sail in his magical ship, Prydwen, to bring back precious gifts (i.e., the gifts of life) from the Land of the Dead, as we are told in The Mabinogi. Welsh triads allude to Gwydion and Amaethon doing much the same thing. In fact, this theme is so universal that mythologists refer to it by a common phrase, “the harrowing of hell”.” – Mike Nichols, The Witches’ Sabbats
May you enjoy a fruitful and blessed spring!
* Technically speaking, the 2010 March Equinox happens at March 20th 17:32 UTC. In my neck of the woods, that means that the equinox actually happens around 10:32am. If you live in the United Kingdom then it’s happening at 5:32 PM. In Australia the equinox (though not the “spring” equinox) will be quite early on the 21st. Check your time zone for exact calculations.
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