If you follow the wheel of the year, then you know that this is the time of the spring equinox. Its also the season of a pagan celebration called Ostara, named from a goddess called Eostre, whose name also gives us the name Easter. We all know that springtime is a time when nature seems to go crazy. March roars in like a lion and hopefully goes out like a lamb. Flowers pop up through the melting snow. Bunnies and chicks and bugs and all little things make MORE little things! Spring is the time of fertility. One of the Easter traditions we love in our house is finding Easter eggs, but aside from being signs of fertility, why are bunnies and eggs tied together at Easter? Well, the answer came over to America with the Germans. Back in olden times, the nocturnal hare was a symbol of the moon, and the gestation cycle of such a hare was 28 days, a lunar cycle. In the wild, hares nest in what was called a form, a kind of nest for bunnies. When the bunnies were done with their form, a certain type of wading bird called a plover would waddle up and lay its eggs there. Confused farmers would then find eggs in the bunny nest. This turned into quite a popular myth with the farmers and they would tell their children that if they were good little girls and boys, they might find eggs from the Easter Bunny in their nests or bonnets. When German immigrants came to the States, they brought this tale with them. Thus, we have the Easter bunny. Another tale I love is that the goddess Eostre found a wounded bird along the road and helped it, then watched as it turned to a bunny and hopped away. Or the other way around...bunny and bird...either way, there again we have birds, bunnies and eggs. Ostara or Easter is a time to celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year, and to focus on mother earth, and there are tons of great ways to celebrate. One I love is to count blessings every time you eat a jellybean, observing the color. I am thankful for this yellow jellybean that represents the sun, or With this green jellybean, I inhale the sweet smell of green, green grass. Whatever you do to celebrate this season, I hope you enjoy being outside, frolicking in mother earths glory like little bunnies!
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 21:28:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015