Goddessing: Goddess Religion, Pagan Blog

The Vernal Equinox / April Fool's Connection

Saturday, April 01, 2006

The Vernal Equinox / April Fool's Connection posted by Sage -- 10:00 PM.
Blogger: Haloscan: . .

Signs of spring in these parts:

the winds of change had all but the largest oaks dancing vigorously for three days in the week before spring equinox
the wind storm was followed by a respectable snow storm (4-inch accumulation)
a few days later, the thermostat on the screened porch explained why the temperatures outside and inside seemed to match: it pointed to just above 60 on the dial
standing on porch and later on exposed grass and raw earth, I wondered at the remnants of snow, stubbornly clinging to shaded spots in low-lying places, and the word "anachronistic" came to mind
I saw my first robin of the season the day before equinox, and also a pair of geese enjoying the comforts and delights a lakeshore offers in early spring
my beloved and I observed the equinox, informally but precisely
a recapitulation of snow a few days after the equinox brought worries for the robins, and a reminder about how vulnerable life is in transition times
I was overcome with a seemingly mysterious must-listen-to-music fit, which explained itself when tears and fresh emotion were evoked by Norah Jones' Don't Know Why
pal Julie showed up a week ago with rake, leaf blower, and a smile, and we spent Sunday raking, toting, and burning the leaves an early winter snatched from our yardly ministrations last fall (ok, she raked and toted, I burned); we stayed around the fire for hours into the dark; she spoke wisdom in her gentle way
this week a young cat, never before seen in this neighborhood, drew our eyes to the crocuses in bloom when we saw her napping before them in the sun; I invited her onto the porch; she declined

And today, tengrrl's April Fool's joke at BlogShares made the Vernal Equinox / April Fool's connection and reminded me again why I so like Wikipedia

What seems certain is that it is in some way or other a relic of those once universal festivities held at the vernal equinox, which, beginning on old New Year's day, the 25th of March, ended on the 1st of April. This view gains support from the fact that the exact counterpart of April-fooling is found to have been an immemorial custom in India. The festival of the spring equinox is there termed the feast of Holi, the last day of which is the 31st of March, upon which the chief amusement is the befooling of people by sending them on fruitless errands. (April Fools' Day, Wikipedia)