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Happy Vernal Equinox

heh.....just thought I would throw that out there:

The Vernal Equinox

As the newly reborn sun races across the sky, the days become longer, the air warmer and, once again, life begins to return to the land. Twice a year, day and night become equal in length.

To the elders of the Olde Way, these times, equinoxes, were markers in which seeds would be planted and then harvested. The first of these, the Spring or Vernal Equinox occurs on or about March 21st.

The ancient goddess, Eostre, a Saxon deity who marked not only the passage of time but also symbolized new life and fertility, was the key symbol of this celebration which was also known as Ostara. Legend has it that the goddess was saved by a bird
whose wings had become frozen by the cold of winter.

This process turned the bird into a hare. Yet this was no ordinary cottontail; this long-eared rabbit could also lay eggs!

The main symbols for Easter are the egg, for new life or beginnings, and the rabbit/hare, for fertility.

Spring Cleaning
The Vernal Equinox is a time of renewal, both in Nature and in the Home. More than just physical activity, "spring cleaning" removes any negative energy accumulated over the dark winter months and prepares the home for the positive growing energy of spring and summer.
Celebrating the Vernal Equinox
While the Vernal Equinox was an important point of passage in the year, the actual method of marking the festival varied from village to village and people to people. Rituals and invocations for abundance in the new crops being planted would often be held during the new moon closest to the Equinox (traditionally a good time to plant). In some places this was also the time when promises were made between lovers for the Handfasting Ceremony that would come at Midsummer. In a very real sense the ceremony was an expression of hope and trust in the new lives that would blossom in the warmth of summer.

Even the latter day celebration (comparatively speaking) of Easter acknowledged the significance of the Vernal Equinox. The Council of Nice decreed in 325 A.D. that "Easter was to fall upon the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox."

This time of equality between day and night has been, and continues to be, a timekeeper, marking our passage from darkness and cold to warmth and light.

Rabbit and Chick, Symbols of the Vernal EquinoxRelationship to Easter
As Christianity spread across Europe and Britain, these older symbols became incorporated into the new faith's holiday of Easter; even the name seems to have been a variant of the Goddess whose festival was originally celebrated with the arrival of spring. The old rites honoring the planting of new seeds, the fertility of the land and its people, and the hope of the new life arising in the world were replaced by solemn displays commemorating Christ and Christian beliefs.

Aren't you supposed to be able to stand an egg on one end too?

Damn. We're out of eggs! Someone go try it. Would you have to be at the equator?

Quote:

Originally Posted by lurkette

Damn. We're out of eggs! Someone go try it. Would you have to be at the equator?

No, you just need a level surface and lots of patience.

http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/egg_spin.html

Well, the Equinox is equivocal at best.

The first day of spring though, is worthy of high celebration!

I love springtime. I just wish someone would tell Mother Nature that it's here so she can send Old Man Winter to his room.

Yea, I'm loving the emergence of Spring too.

I bet that cultures who developed in areas closer to the equator would have a different perspective on the meaning and symbols we impose on all this seasonal change.

Huzzah for Spring!

The sun is noticably higher in the sky.

The temerature is hovering around freezing (rather constantly below).

Snow is melting and the smell of dog poo hangs in the air... but I digress.

I am very pleased that the tide has turned...

A little bit warmer today. I liked it.

This was actually yesterday, you know. =P (link)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tecoyah

Even the latter day celebration (comparatively speaking) of Easter acknowledged the significance of the Vernal Equinox. The Council of Nice decreed in 325 A.D. that "Easter was to fall upon the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Vernal Equinox."

It's not <i>quite</i> that simple. Article at: http://www.its.themoon.co.uk/mooncalendar.html

Quote:

THE MOON AND EASTER

The commonly stated rule, that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox, is somewhat misleading because it is not a precise statement of the actual ecclesiastical rules.

The actual conditions to determine the date for Easter are (1) Easter must be on a Sunday; (2) this Sunday must follow the 14th day of the paschal moon; (3) the paschal moon is that of which the 14th day (full moon) falls on or next follows the day of the vernal equinox; and (4) the equinox is fixed in the calendar as March 21. Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25.

In order that the date for Easter be incontrovertibly fixed, and determinable indefinitely in advance, the Church constructed special tables for calculating the time of the paschal moon. There are three major differences to note between the ecclesiastical system and the astronomical system. (1) The 14th day of the paschal moon is not necessarily identical to the time of astronomical full moon. The ecclesiastical tables do not account for the full complexity of the lunar motion. (2) The vernal equinox has a precise astronomical definition determined by the actual motion of the Sun. It is the precise time at which the apparent longitude of the Sun is zero degrees. The actual date varies very slightly from year to year. In the ecclesiastical system the vernal equinox is fixed at March 21 regardless of the actual motion of the Sun. (3) The date of Easter is a specific calendar date. Easter starts when that date starts for your time zone. Astronomical phenomena occurs at a specific date and time all over the Earth at once.

Inevitably, the date of Easter occasionally differs from a date that uses an astronomical full moon and the astronomical vernal equinox. In some cases this difference may occur in some parts of the world and not in others because two dates separated by the International Date Line are always simultaneously in progress on the Earth.

1962 was such a case. In 1962, the astronomical full moon happened to occur about six hours after astronomical equinox. That full moon occured on March 21, UT=7h 55m. The ecclesiastical full moon, however, occured on March 20. The ecclesiastical equinox is fixed to be March 21; therefore, the ecclesiastical full moon occured before the ecclesiastical equinox. In the first case, the full moon followed the equinox; in other case, it preceeded the equinox. Following the rules, Easter, therefore, was not until the Sunday that followed the next ecclesiastical full moon. That occured on Wednesday, April 18 making Easter Sunday, April 22.

Similarly, in 1954 Easter was Sunday, April 18 because the first ecclesiastical full moon after March 21 fell on Saturday, April 17. However, the first astronomical full moon after the equinox happened to fall on April 18 at UT=5h. So in some places in the world Easter was on the same Sunday as the astronomical full moon.

ADDENDUM : FEBRUARY 2005 © BBC MMV

In the early church, Easter was celebrated on different days in different countries. The date was bitterly disputed until the council of Nicaea in AD 325 decreed the festival would be observed on the same date.

While the council may have desired consistency, simplicity took a back seat.

The day chosen was the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. The full moon being a notional "Paschal" full moon which occurs in either a 29 or 30-day cycle, not the astronomic moon we can all see in the heavens.

The theological significance of this date was that it was a day of maximum light -12 hours of daylight, followed by 12 hours of full moonlight. It means that Easter can be celebrated on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

Sacrilegious

Accurately calculating Easter was important to early Christians as they believed celebrating it too soon or too late was sacrilegious. But the calculation tables used have often been a matter of major controversy and various system have been adopted and re-jigged over the centuries.

After the ferocious early schisms and excommunications, the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Britain and Ireland in 1752 and Easter has been celebrated on the same day in the Western part of the Christian world ever since.

Vatican proposal

The Eastern churches, however, did not adopt the same calendar and still celebrate Easter at a different time. Occasionally the dates coincide, for example, in 1865 and then in 1963.

Discussions still continue over the advantages of a fixed Easter. In 1928 the House of Commons agreed to a bill fixing the date as the first Sunday after the second Saturday in April. It was never implemented.

In 1990 the Vatican Council approved a proposal for April 8 to be the fixed date of Easter, subject to agreement with all the other Christian churches and with governments. So far agreement has not been reached so Easter still drifts from year to year.

Story from BBC NEWS: Published: 2005/02/08 12:09:33 GMT

:crazy: Got to love those old church dignitaries. Ecclesiastical moon? Still, I'm glad it's getting brighter and warmer. My winter boots are starting to smell nasty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pip

Still, I'm glad it's getting brighter and warmer. My winter boots are starting to smell nasty.

And my motorcycle is getting lonely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tecoyah

The Vernal Equinox

As the newly reborn sun races across the sky, the days become longer, the air warmer and, once again, life begins to return to the land. Twice a year, day and night become equal in length.

To the elders of the Olde Way, these times, equinoxes, were markers in which seeds would be planted and then harvested. The first of these, the Spring or Vernal Equinox occurs on or about March 21st.

May this be a happy day for all, of new growth in mind, body and spirit.

May the Goddess be honored with our growth.

Sweetpea

Quote:

Originally Posted by StanT

And my motorcycle is getting lonely.

I visted my scooter the other day... he wouldn't talk to me...

I figure I should have it back on the road for the end of April. :thumbsup:

Soon short shorts, thongs, and bikini tops!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by n0nsensical

This was actually yesterday, you know. =P (link)

It's still Spring, ain't it? :p

I'm glad I saw this... even though I saw "Equinox" and thought of the drug advertised in one of the GTA games.

And it isn't spring here! We still had snow flurries coming down on Thursday! I made $20 betting that this would be a long winter in Illinois back in July--I had no idea this long!

So with my $20, I wish you all happy times ahead, and your lives fruitful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JumpinJesus

I love springtime. I just wish someone would tell Mother Nature that it's here so she can send Old Man Winter to his room.

No... No... Old Man Winter can play as long as he likes. As long as I have a mainly frozen lake to walk out on and stare at some night skies, I'm content. :thumbsup: Sorry folks if my wish comes true.