Celebrating the Spring Equinox with Your Children
In many traditions this marks the beginning of the new year as well. The Romans began their year on March 15th, in England and Ireland between the 12th century and 1752 March 25th was the first day of the new year, the Persian New Year falls on the spring Equinox, and the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon after the Spring Equinox. The newness of the year and the newness of life go hand in hand for many Pagan families.
Many parents take this time to go outside and enjoy the warmer spring weather. Children are often excited to go out after the long winter stuck inside, and are naturally curious about the signs of spring all around them. Showing children the plants and animals that are making their way out to greet the spring is a great way to teach children about the Equinox and what it brings.
While you are outside with your children why not start a garden? Seeds and new plants are perfect examples of the new life that comes with the spring. Spend time with your children getting your hands dirty working in your own garden. Children can easily see the cycle of life, death, and new life by watching the plants grow, be harvested, and grow anew.
Though the tradition has been co-opted by much of Christianity, having an egg hunt is a wonderful tradition that Pagan parents can share with their children. Paint the eggs with symbols such as snakes, spirals, and moons; then hide the eggs outside for your children to hunt. If you have a stead hand some like to poke a small hole in the egg while it is raw, drain the yolks and whites out, and use the hollow shell to hold a wish for the new year. Carefully paint the egg then either hold it and make your wish, or write your wish on a small scrap of paper that you can roll and place inside the egg. This can be a great way to tell your children about the new life eggs symbolize.
While you are enjoying the beauty of spring with your children do not forget to prepare a spring altar. Use light, spring colors such as pale green and sky blue. Let your children decorate the altar with feathers, flowers, seeds, and any other spring time items that they find. If you choose to make wish eggs you can add those to the altar as well. Really let your children be a part of the altar preparation. Some may want to color pictures to add to the altar, some may want to select certain candles. However your children choose to help, allowing them to be involved gets them excited about the Spring Equinox.
Building a tradition that your family can enjoy year after year on the Spring Equinox can be a wonderful way to share your faith with your children and build lasting bonds. Take the time to decorate the altar together, plant some new seeds, and watch the first hints of green come up from the ground. These simple acts will build the foundation of understanding that you can build upon as your children grow.
Recommended books:
The Spring Equinox - Ellen Jackson
Caterpillar Spring, Butterfly Summer - Susan Hood
Our Big Home - Linda Glaser
A Kid's Spring Ecojournal - Toni Albert
Ostara - Edain McCoy
Published by Summer Minor
Summer Minor is a mother of 3 who practices Attachment Parenting and believes that with gentle guidance children can grow to be who they were meant to be. She blogs about parenting at http://mama2mamatips.com View profile
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- Go outside and find signs of spring
- Have a Pagan egg hunt
- Decorate the altar as a family
5 Comments
Post a CommentWell presented publication. I adore your daisy photo - My favorite flower and subject of the only poem I've published on the AC. Write on! :)
Great article Summer. The festivals of spring are beginning to get underway here in Wales. I personally love this time of year. The lambing season is in full swing, I love seeing the little lambs frolicking in the fields (no I dont eat lamb) and the daffodils are in full bloom, which takes the Welsh back to their spiritual roots as March 1 celebrates St David's Day, who is the patron St of Wales, and the daffs one of the national symbols of Wales (the others are the leek and the dragon). I enjoyed this article very much!
These are great ideas! I think Corbin is a little too young to understand the meaning of the holidy, even to participate in an egg hunt really, but I look forward to sharing this holiday with him anyway. Corey is Christian, so we'll be alternating each year. One year we'll do the traditional bunny & egg at Ostara, while talking about Easter seriously. The next year we'll have fun at Easter and be more serious at Ostara. :)
You simply can't NOT celebrate spring!! I know you and I both have had some "happy dances" in the yard now that we can free that little ones back into the outside world!!
Some Christians also hijack the empty egg thing and have one among the entire hunt, representing the empty tomb of Christ. Personally, I find that as a pretty cheesy way to celebrate one of the most vital aspects to my God. So, we don't hide the fact that easter egg hunting is Pagan, is about the long-awaited birth of spring and FUN! (and we hide some quarters in a few of them! cha-ching!) It also turns into the perfect sex ed discussion for us(seems that I can turn anything into that?!?).
We are currently coddling the first signs of tulips in the front flowerbed. Next time you come over, bring an empty watering can or large container, and I'll mix you up a batch of my favorite organic Spray-n-Grow!
Great article! A lot of people don't seem to be (or try not to be) aware of the Pagan origin of Easter eggs. Spring is a fun time for children who have been cooped up all winter, and provides lots of learning opportunities. You offer great ideas that mostly can also work for non-Pagans. Good job.