Spring Celebration
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A good friend brought this to the attention of the
Saugeen Times. It's very interesting to see that, what we celebrate as
Easter, is also celebrated in almost every culture in some form.
We celebrate the Spring Equinox, as peoples have since time immemorial, when day and night became equal in length. The ancient goddess, Eostre (our word "EASTER" is a variation of her name), was a Saxon deity who marked not only the passage of time but also symbolized new life and fertility and was the key symbol of the celebration known as Ostara. It is a time of victory of a god of light (or life, rebirth, resurrection) over the powers of darkness (death). The descent of the goddess, or god, into the underworld for a period of three days, is such a popular theme among religions, in fact, that mythologists refer to it as "The Harrowing of Hell." |
(continued) It is also the time to herald the arrival of warmth and growth, the planting of seeds to welcome the renewal of mother earth’s fertility and willingness to nourish us for another year. The Spring Equinox is associated with Christain, Jewish, Neo-Paganism, Mayan and ancient Roman and Greek cultures and is variously known as: Alban Eilir, Eostar, Eostre, Feast of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Festival of Trees, Lady Day, NawRuz, No Ruz, Ostara, Ostra, Rites of Spring, and the Vernal Equinox. Whatever the name, the Spring Equinox appears, in every culture, to recognize in some way that spring indeed heralds new beginnings.
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