Equinoxes and other things

[Beansandneedles]

I'm looking for ways to mark the seasons, small traditions and rituals to introduce into our family unit.

So far I've started treating the spring equinox in the way I'd usually treat new year. This is the time for new beginnings and resolutions rather than at the start of January when I feel like I should be in hibernation. I also plan to plant seeds with my children next week, which we can watch grow as the weather warms. Otherwise I'm not quite sure yet.

Do you have any traditions/rituals you use to mark the year...doesn't have to be around the equinox, I'm just using it as a prompt as it's next week and I'm still uncertain how else to mark it. Perhaps resolutions and planting seeds is enough for now. More will come in time.

Why?

The new year is when the days are noticeably getting longer. Why wait until day and night are of equal length?

Also, what seeds?

It'll be too cold for many.

"In cultures around the world, the spring equinox has represented a time of renewal, fertility, and rebirth. In agricultural societies, the spring equinox marked the start of the planting season, when crops are sown and farmers begin preparing for the coming season of growth."

https://www.slownorth.com/blogs/journal/the-significance-of-the-spring-equinox

It also marks the start of the Western zodiac. And fwiw, Lady Day (25th March) was considered to be New Year's Day for a long time. Hence why the tax year starts when it does.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Day

For gardeners the start of March is the kick off for planting some seeds outside straight into the soil. Then again at the start of May for things like Pumpkins. Maybe you could get one of those gardening books which has lists of tasks for each month?

We're a (slightly half-arsed currently) pagan family. One thing we do try to do every year is to get up for the sunrise on May Morning, and then have strawberries for the first time in the year for breakfast, with champagne to toast the start of summer. If it's not a school/work day, we get up before dawn and go to the top of our highest local peak to watch the sun rise.

At new year, instead of resolutions, we name the year. 'Year of Acceptance', 'Year of Forgiveness', this year is 'Year of One-Thing-At-A-Time'.

It's a good way to focus throughout the year on something you wish you held to more, but without the resolution constriction of 'I will always...'

Might be a nice thing to introduce in the springtime.

https://historycooperative.org/pagan-origins-of-christmas/

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/till-may-is-out.html

Shall we play quote tennis?

I love family festivals. We celebrate our house birthday (anniversary of moving in). Always plant potatoes on Good Friday. Bless our candles (we make our own during the winter for the following year) for the year on Candlemas. Celebrate the empty freezer June-ish when we defrost ready for the new season (usually with a final random meal of oddments). We celebrate Advent and do the 12 days of Christmas. Preparing for a midwinter feast, then celebrating fulsomely. Not presents and banqueting everyday, but making each day special. We have a seasonal changeover weekend twice a year - changing our regular menu items and duvets and coats.

Feels right for me 😊 my late brother always said "you do you", which I feel is a great way to live.

I love the house birthday idea! And the strawberries and potatoes! I'm aiming to live more seasonally and these are such easy ways to do it. Currently we celebrate advent, and the 12 days of Christmas with something to look forward to every day. Our advent is one of experiences, like baking or going to find pretty lights. I look forward to it every year!

That's wonderful! Definitely adding that to the list. Thank you 😊

Ah you do you, can call it half arsed or you can say you welcome the parts of paganism which work for you and your family in any given moment. All in the spin 😉I always celebrated May Morning when I lived in Oxford, they gather on Magdalen bridge and a choir sings from the top of a church tower. It's wonderfully ethereal.

Marking the change of the seasons more intentionally with actual days to change sheets and empty the freezer. So simple, something which will happen anyway, but making it ceremonial. This is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for from the question 😊

OP I do this, I normally go to the beach with friends have fire etc or just a small ceremony at home. Check out the work of Glennie Kindred she has loads of helpful ideas of rituals and ceremonies for these exact occasions.

Have a look at The Wheel of The Year. It’s a (vaguely) Pagan calendar that follows the seasons and has 8 points to mark or celebrate.

Yule/Winter Solstice
Imbolc
Spring Equinox
Beltaine (May Day)
Summer Solstice/Midsummer
Lammas
Autumn Equinox
Samhain (close links to Halloween)

I follow it with my friends and my children and we try to mark each one with something. There are books out there that tell you about some of the old traditions and rituals behind these (many pre-date Christianity by centuries!).

Sometimes we have a fire and some food and write down resolutions or things to release and burn them. Sometimes we just light a candle at home or make a mini ‘altar’ with flowers, candles, crystals etc Sometimes we do something huge like go to Stonehenge for the solstices.

Our village celebrates midsummer solstice. Everyone goes up the hill at sunset, with picnic rugs and wine. The kids run around and roll down the hill, the Morris dance and the Folk Group sing songs. It’s really lovely.

On Easter Monday the children roll eggs down the same hill.

We hold Apple Day in October, so not on the autumn equinox but similar seasonal celebration. Stalls on the Village Green, welly wanging, apple pressing, cider drinking, and finishing up with the Morris leading everyone to the community orchard and a singsong to bless the trees.

This is all village stuff rather than individual family stuff, but it’s a big part of marking the seasons for the kids. I realise it makes it sound like I live in The Shire.

I want to live there!!! That sounds wonderful! I live in a big city. There's always something to do (going to the st Patrick's day parade today for example) but it feels impersonal. Not something "with a community". Be lovely to be following the year with the people around you as well. How wonderful!

How fabulous!! I was thinking we'll probably enjoy a firepit tea but I love the idea of it being at the beach ❤️

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

Thank you :) I treated myself to The Almanac in January so have been vaguely following these days, but wasn't sure how to mark them (not quite ready for an alter) in a way which works for my family. I like the recipes and there are ideas I have taken on board for me though. Looking forward to doing Stonehenge one day when my children are bigger!

I live in the South West of the UK. Not too cold to sow a number of things indoors in march, and even some outdoors.

https://www.instagram.com/happy_smallholding?igsh=MXBpZWhmYW5pdGU2cA==

Lovely ideas for growing along here, shows what you can plant.

I change the decor on our hallway table on the wheels of the year date change. I switch the picture to be a seasonal one (e.g. snowdrop print for imbolc), change of runner colour and a new candle. Nothing major but I enjoy it - don’t think the family even notice 😆

I am not ready for an altar either @Beansandneedles but this is a low key nod to similar thinking

We climb a local hill and watch the sun rise/ set on the equinox and solstices. We burn Yule log in the winter, plant seeds in spring, remember loved ones who've passed in autumn. In summer we light a fire outside and sit around it.

Realised today is the equilux so we've been outside planting which was lovely. I really like the idea of being on top of a hill for the sunrise on Wednesday <3 this has given me some lovely ideas so far. Thank you.

A lot of the elements of our May Morning come from DH's time in Oxford as well. Our DS was born on the Spring Equinox so we celebrate that as the start of his life.