The Vernal Equinox

Written by Madame Aradia

Saturday, 21 March 2009 20:50

The vernal equinox...you can breath a sigh of relief for winter is over (at least for most states now). Oh, you might suffer a few chilly days and frosts until May, but at long last spring is really here. The promise of spring has been everywhere for weeks now. Robins spotted in February. Snowdrops, crocuses, anemones, and other early flowers have come. The trees have red in their young branches....a sign of the sap rising.

The name “vernal equinox” is Latin meaning “equal night”, for now the days and nights are the same length. Light and darkness are equal. The first of spring happens on or around March 21st.

Through the years, many cultures (particularly the Germans, Anglo-Saxons, and Romans) have celebrated the vernal equinox as a holiday known as Ostara, or Eostre (this is where the Christians derived their name for the holiday, Easter). Ostara is the name for an Anglo-Saxon/Norse goddess of life, fertility, and rebirth. Her symbols are, of course, the bunny, eggs, and spring flowers.

To celebrate the holiday, go for a long walk (reflecting on the young, budding nature around you) or plant seeds for your garden (indoors, of course! A frost could kill all your young plants before May). Decorate your home with fresh cut flowers, statues of rabbits or hand-woven bird’s nests, and candles (suggested: green, white, purple, or yellow). Color eggs to decorate your home or garden with....of course, if you want long lasting eggs, you must use "blown" eggs. Hard-boiled will become smelly fast!