Technically speaking, here in Utah, the Spring Equinox happened at 11:49 pm MDT last night on Weds. the 19th, just ten minutes before midnight, so as with most happenings of this nature, we celebrate on the next full day.
Although some, such as my own family, have private celebrations on the morning of the Equinox, many people here in Utah as across the nation will actually postpone their celebration of the Equinox until the closest Saturday. Many Utahns will come together this Saturday the 22nd to celebrate the sabbat with SunStave Circle, hosted by members of the Order of Our Lady of Salt (OOLS) who always do an amazing ritual. They will be performing a circle in honor of the pre-Christian Germanic goddess Ostara. Although the actual origins of the Germanic goddess are very sketchy, there are several pre-Christian customs from other cultures which are associated with this time of year and from which we get the current cultural associations of Easter with things such as colored eggs and newborn animals. For instance, the ancient Persians celebrated a festival called Nowruz, which has been celebrated as the beginning of the new year in the areas of the Middle East for at least 3,000 years! Isn't it interesting that at the time of the spring equinox in the lands where Western civilization arose, families buy each other new clothes, do spring cleaning, buy hyacinth and tulips to decorate their homes, and color eggs for each member of the family!
At Sacred Circle, we are also looking forward to the celebration of the full moon (Full phase on Friday the 21st at 12:40 p.m. MDT). The conjunction of the full moon with the Spring Equinox this year has also produced a very early celebration of the Christian festival of Easter, which is coinciding this year with many Pagan celebrations. We are in for a very busy weekend with our families and friends!
So on this sacred day of balance and harmony, we wish you a beautiful Spring Equinox day! May your Spring be filled with a garden of delight, flowers of love and joy, the glad song of freedom and the warm company of friends and family!
