Happy Vernal Equinox, everyone! Spring is not only a time for planting new flowers and veggies, but can also be the ideal time for planting new ideas in your life. There are many celebrations of ancient origin tied to welcoming spring that we can incorporate into our modern gardens and lives.
The ancient Germanic tribes worshipped the goddess Ostara, who represented spring, fertility, and rebirth. She is said to have had a rabbit companion who helped her bring spring into the world. Ostara would mate on the Vernal Equinox and would give birth nine months later around the time of Yule.
Similar to Ostara is the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre whose feast day falls on the full moon after the Vernal Equinox. One tale surrounding her is that one day in late winter she found an injured bird. In order to save its life, she transmuted it into a hare. While the bird now had the form of a hare, it could still lay eggs, and thereafter would decorate them and leave them in various places as gifts to honor Eostre.
For centuries, farmers would place eggs out in a field in early spring to invoke the goddess of fertility and to enhance crop yield. The egg has long been a symbol of fertility and creation; in many Pagan traditions, the yolk represents the Sun God and the white of the egg represents the maiden goddess.
The rabbit is symbolically just as important as the egg. It probably became a harbinger of spring due to its annual appearance in great numbers in March. March is the beginning of the hare's mating season. The males get frustrated when rejected by the females and bounce around in quite a crazy manner, giving us the phrase "as mad as a March hare."
The ancient Romans held a festival called Hilaria to honor Cybele, the mother of the gods. During this festival, participants rejoiced and played games; they were not allowed to show sorrow during this time. The festival culminated on March 22 when mysterious rites were performed. Cybele had a consort named Attis who had been born via a virgin birth. Attis died and was resurrected each year during the time of Hilaria.
During the third and fourth centuries A.D., Roman Christian missionaries traveled through the pagan countryside, converting the people to Christianity. They gave Christian names to the pagan festivals and traditions in order to more easily convert the "heathen." Over the centuries, these pagan celebrations have survived under the guise of Christianity, although the meanings of these traditions are largely lost on the Christian followers. Even the concept of the Easter basket had its origins in pagan belief as the bird's nest, symbolizing preparation for the arrival of the new.
Spring is, of course, the perfect time to celebrate and prepare for the arrival of the new. Spring cleaning is a tradition around the world; cleaning your garden beds in preparation for seeding and planting is only practical and beneficial to complete as soon as possible after the ground can be worked. A new layer of compost or manure added to beds now will aid your vegetables and other plants greatly this summer. And if you add your own personal ritual to welcome spring into the mix, maybe the gods will bless your garden with great fertility this season.
Wishing you happiness in spades,
M.R.S.
The ancient Germanic tribes worshipped the goddess Ostara, who represented spring, fertility, and rebirth. She is said to have had a rabbit companion who helped her bring spring into the world. Ostara would mate on the Vernal Equinox and would give birth nine months later around the time of Yule.
Similar to Ostara is the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre whose feast day falls on the full moon after the Vernal Equinox. One tale surrounding her is that one day in late winter she found an injured bird. In order to save its life, she transmuted it into a hare. While the bird now had the form of a hare, it could still lay eggs, and thereafter would decorate them and leave them in various places as gifts to honor Eostre.
For centuries, farmers would place eggs out in a field in early spring to invoke the goddess of fertility and to enhance crop yield. The egg has long been a symbol of fertility and creation; in many Pagan traditions, the yolk represents the Sun God and the white of the egg represents the maiden goddess.
The rabbit is symbolically just as important as the egg. It probably became a harbinger of spring due to its annual appearance in great numbers in March. March is the beginning of the hare's mating season. The males get frustrated when rejected by the females and bounce around in quite a crazy manner, giving us the phrase "as mad as a March hare."
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| A bunny at last weekend's Flower Show |
The ancient Romans held a festival called Hilaria to honor Cybele, the mother of the gods. During this festival, participants rejoiced and played games; they were not allowed to show sorrow during this time. The festival culminated on March 22 when mysterious rites were performed. Cybele had a consort named Attis who had been born via a virgin birth. Attis died and was resurrected each year during the time of Hilaria.
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| Cybele, the Roman Magna Mater, or "Great Mother" |
During the third and fourth centuries A.D., Roman Christian missionaries traveled through the pagan countryside, converting the people to Christianity. They gave Christian names to the pagan festivals and traditions in order to more easily convert the "heathen." Over the centuries, these pagan celebrations have survived under the guise of Christianity, although the meanings of these traditions are largely lost on the Christian followers. Even the concept of the Easter basket had its origins in pagan belief as the bird's nest, symbolizing preparation for the arrival of the new.
Spring is, of course, the perfect time to celebrate and prepare for the arrival of the new. Spring cleaning is a tradition around the world; cleaning your garden beds in preparation for seeding and planting is only practical and beneficial to complete as soon as possible after the ground can be worked. A new layer of compost or manure added to beds now will aid your vegetables and other plants greatly this summer. And if you add your own personal ritual to welcome spring into the mix, maybe the gods will bless your garden with great fertility this season.
Wishing you happiness in spades,
M.R.S.
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