Twice a year , the Dominicus sits vertically above the equator , giving us nearly equal day and night everywhere on the planet . This year , March 19is the young equinox in the Northern Hemisphere . Here are nine spring equinox rituals people partake in to fete with the ( roughly ) 12 hours of daylight .
1. Stand an Egg on End
Eggsare often associated with the give equinox because of their standing as a symbol of birthing and fertility . The myth that onecan be balancedon its endonlyon that day likely relates to the day ’s re - balance of day and Nox . But do n’t occupy : If you ’re too busy to try out with bollock balancing on the sidereal day of the equinox , you may sure enough stress it the following day . It takes drill , buteggscan be balanced any day of the year .
2. Honor Dionysus With a Bread Phallus
Dionysus — the graven image of fertility , wine , floweringplants , poesy , and theater — is often relate withphalluses(for rankness ) andbread(because of ritual meal demand the use of bread and wine).To celebratethe approach of spring , modern pagans pop the question up table of wine , flowers , and priapic symbols made offood .
3. Celebrate the New Year
Countries like Iran , India , and Turkey , among many other country of Asia , observe the New Year on the leaping equinox , generally in observance ofNowruz(which means “ new Clarence Day ” in Persian ) . Specificreligionsalso adhere to the holy day , including theBahá’í Faith .
4. Take a Trip to Mexico
That ’s where you ’ll find Chichén Itzá ( one of theNew 7 Wonders of the World ) and the ancientMayanpyramid , El Castillo , where the Return of the Sun Serpent puts on a shadowy show every equinox .
5. Have a Family Reunion
CalledShunbun no Aloha State , Nipponese people spendthe weekof the young equinox inspect their hometowns , spending time with class , and tending to ancestral grave .
6. Plant Seeds
Many pagans lionize the fountain equinoctial point byplanting semen . March is a dandy fourth dimension to get ahead on yourgardeninggoals . Youcan plantcarrots , lucre , onions , and Irish potato outdoors , and start up summer plant like peppers and tomatoes indoors . For the summer plant , you ’ll relocate them out of doors once theweatheris more appropriate .
Read More About Seasons Here:
7. Give Your Mother Some Love
Many in-between easterly countries like Egypt , Iraq , Saudi Arabia , and Syria celebrateMother ’s Dayonor aroundthe same mean solar day as the equinoctial point . But even if you live elsewhere , we ’re sure your mom would appreciate a call .
8. Visit a Megalithic Monument
You make out , likeStonehenge . On the summertime and winter solstice and springtime and autumn equinoxes , Stonehenge isopen to visitors(and the local Druids ) who desire to see the sunrise over the stones .
9. Finally Understand Why the Easter Bunny Lays Eggs
This come from an ancient Saxon tale about their lunar ( or spring / summertime ) goddess , Eostre . One story broadly give out that Eostre find an injuredbirdand transformed it into ahareto economise its life ; the translation was incomplete , and in gratitude for pull through her , the rabbit lay eggs and deck them as gifts to Eostre ( or , alternately , the hare found an egg and grace it for the goddess ) . More in all likelihood , it was thatrabbitsand egg were both seen as symbols of fertility , and Eostre was the goddess representing spring and fertility . Parts of the myth were eventually absorb into the more modern Easter celebrations , as both festival come about around the same time .
A version of this story originally ran in 2009 ; it has been update for 2024 .
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