On the first day of Spring the Spring, or Vernal, Equinox is celebrated by Wiccans and Witches throughout the world. Spring Equinox (which is also known as Festival of the Trees, Alban Eilir, Ostara, and the Rite of Eostre) is a fertility rite celebrating the birth of Spring and the reawakening of life from the Earth. On this sacred day, Witches light new fires at sunrise, rejoice, ring bells, and decorate hard-boiled eggs—an ancient Pagan custom associated with the Goddess of Fertility. The aspects of the Goddess invoked at this Sabbat are Eostre (the Saxon goddess of fertility) and Ostara (the German goddess of fertility); in some Wiccan traditions, the Green Goddess and the Lord of the Greenwood are worshipped on this day. Like most of the Pagan festivals, Spring Equinox was Christianized by the Church into the religious holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Some beauty to kick-start the season:
Wee Planets
incredible paper sculptures from artist Jen Stark
song heard most recently before posting:
The Partisan—Leonard Cohen
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2 comments:
Perkunas made himself known last week here in Northeastern Pennsylvania!
My boyfriend (who's not Lithuanian) shook me awake in the pre-dawn hour. "Perkunas" he mumbled, and we both fell asleep to the sound of distant thunder.
"The day on which the first thunderclaps of spring are heard is remembered by the people for the rest of the year. They interpret its signs through their experience in life.
If Perkunas (Lithuanian god of thunder) is not heard at all during spring - a bad year is predicted.
On the first day that Perkunas strikes, the whole earth is shaken, awakening nature. The grass begins growing. As do the crops, the trees, and all life. Girls, desiring that their rue plants would grow luxuriant and beautiful, would plant them right after the first thunderstorm.
It is said, that if you bathe, after the first thunder, in a river, or lake, you shall be healthy and strong. Drinking water, unblessed by Perkunas, may get you sick. Before Perkunas blesses the land, it is not allowed to walk the land barefoot, lay on the Earth, nor sit upon rocks. Burning fire on an un-thundered land is also forbidden." (B. Buracas, "Jaunasis ukininkas", 1939)
…This is just a part of the old beliefs, showing how important Perkunas is in the spring - youthful, powerful, and always a bringer of rebirth.”
That is so cool!! I'm going to pass this on to a friend of mine who went to Estonia with me in 2005. We've talked about tackling Lithuania and Latvia in the future, so I know he'll find this very interesting!
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