How to Celebrate the Vernal Equinox
The vernal equinox, when the sun crosses the equator northward around March 21, marks the beginning of spring every year. (In the southern hemisphere, of course, this event marks the autumnal equinox.) The equinox holds great importance for Wiccan and similar religions, and the Christian faith uses it to calculate Easter every year. You can do a number of different things to celebrate the vernal equinox, some formal, some just for fun. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Budding flowers
- Eggs
- Egg-painting kits
- Flower bulbs or saplings
- Spring-related foods
Instructions
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Decorate your home with spring themes. Replace winter colors with pastels, greens and pinks, and place budding flowers in prominent spots around your house.
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2
Color eggs. The tradition of Easter eggs actually has its beginnings in springtime rites associated with the vernal equinox.
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3
Plant flowers or trees. The vernal equinox marks the beginning of new life, and a new seedling in your yard or flowerbed is an ideal way to celebrate the occasion.
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Host a dinner for your friends. Emphasize spring-based dishes such as eggs, ham and asparagus to keep with the mood. Cakes and ale are also appropriate food to serve.
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Try to balance an egg. According to legend, raw eggs will stand on end without rolling over at the exact moment of the equinox. This has little to do with the exact date (since you can theoretically stand an egg on its end any time), but you don't have to tell your kids that!
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Plan an outing to a local park or wilderness preserve. Long walks in the woods make for good exercise and also help you observe the changing of the seasons as the trees and bushes emerge from winter.
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Buy a bird house or a bird feeder and mount it near your home. The birds begin nesting and laying their eggs around vernal equinox, and you can help them start new life by providing a home or food.
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Honor your mom with springtime gifts, including flowers and plants. In many Arab countries, the period of the equinox is set aside to honor mothers. Yes, we have a day for that, but you can use the changing of the seasons to double her joy.
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Tips & Warnings
Because the equinox falls in late March, the weather doesn't always cooperate. Check your forecast before planning any significant outdoor activity, and be ready with an alternative if Mother Nature isn't in a cooperative mood.
