What is the Spring Equinox?

The Spring Equinox falls on March 20th, 2021 if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. This means we are about to welcome in warmer weather and longer days! So what is the Spring Equinox and how can you celebrate this awesome event? We have all the info you need in our blog below.

This is going to be a lot of info so buckle in. As you may know, the Earth sits on a tilted axis and as it rotates around the sun the seasons change. This means that different parts of the earth are exposed to more or less sunlight depending on the location and time of the year. Without Earth being on an axis we would not have seasons, equinoxes, or solstices.

The Spring Equinox is also known as the Vernal Equinox. This is the moment that the sun crosses over the celestial equator and heads in a northern direction. If you lived on the equator you would have a perfect 12hours of daytime and 12hours of nighttime! But for the rest of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the beginning of spring!

What is Ostara?

Do you remember the blog we did on Samhain? If you don’t read it now because it will help you understand what is about to come. The Wheel of the Year keeps on turning and we are breaking out of the darker half of the year and moving into the lighter half. We have made it to Ostara!

Ostara named after the Germanic goddess, Eostre, is a festival to welcome in the longer days and as a way to celebrate fertility and re-birth!

Do you celebrate Easter, dye eggs, and have an Easter Bunny egg hunt? Well, you can thank Ostara for that. That is because the Hare is a sacred animal to the goddess Eostre and in Celtic tradition, the Hare was seen as a totem animal by some Celtic lunar goddesses. The ancient Celtic people saw the Hare as a sign of immortality and the egg as a sign of fertility.

So how does this tie into Christianity & Easter?

Christian Easter takes place after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Which you just learned that the Hare is a moon goddess’s totem animal. Christian Easter is associated with rebirth and resurrection. The Celtics saw the egg as rebirth and new life! See how this all ties together? Crazy right?

Spring Equinox and its meanings

The Metaphysical Meanings of the Spring Equinox

As the days get longer and we receive more daylight we get more energy. Plants start to grow and the Earth comes alive! So what does this mean for our lives and we react to the changes? Well, that’s all up for personal interpretation of this event. We see the Spring Equinox is a time to finalize any planning for the year ahead, apply the lessons we learned from the last few months of winter, and start to bring change into our lives as we now will gain the energy to do so!

How to Celebrate the Spring Equinox

There are many ways to celebrate the Spring Equinox in 2021, so how should you go about it? Reconnecting with mother nature is the first step. The earth begins to thaw, mother nature is coming alive, birds start to sing more, and plants begin to grow! Head outside and ground yourself. Take your shoes off and stand with mother earth for a while!

Sow your seeds! Start planning that garden! (maybe not quite yet in Colorado, but you can at least plan)! What do you want to grow this year? A good starting place would be to grab a seed starting tray and plant a few seeds. Get them ready for outside. Wondering when you can start to plant outdoors? Check out the long-range forecast from the Farmers Almanac. 

Bonfires are always a great Equinox/Solstice celebration. Have a fire in your backyard with an epic feast or bbq and give your blessings to the coming months.

The biggest thing we can say is whatever you chose to celebrate, have fun, be safe, and enjoy the people you are around! Thank mother nature for the upcoming birth and warmth.

References:
https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox
https://rhythmsofplay.com/ways-celebrate-spring-vernal-equinox/#:~:text=No%20spring%20celebration%20is%20complete,local%20bread%2C%20wine%2C%20etc.

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