Native Botanicals: Bottlebrush, lemon myrtle, wonnil (peppermint tree)
Botanicals: Cherry blossoms, calendula
Incense: Lemon myrtle, lavender
Crystals: Rose quartz, amethyst, moonstone, aquamarine
Foods: Seeds, sprouts/greens, flowers, honey, cheese, eggs
The Vernal (Spring) Equinox marks the point where the day and night are of equal length, making it a time of balance. From here, the daylight hours gradually get longer leading up to the Summer Solstice. The weather is usually noticeably warming by now.
By this time, spring is solidly underway here. The two stand-outs for me at this time are the bright bottlebrush flowers, as well as the cascading blossoms that make the wonnil (peppermint trees) look like they’ve been hit by a snowstorm. These flowers are just some among many, as this is often the peak of wildflower season! Both bushland and gardens alike are awash with colour!
Remember: In most of Australia, picking wildflowers from the wild is illegal. Take only photographs, leave only footprints.
In addition to the swooping magpies, at this time you can usually notice cygnets, ducklings, and other young waterfowl around lakes, wetland areas, and some other waterways.
Linked/Coinciding Festivals:
- Passover (Jewish)
- Lent & Easter (Christian)
The earliest recorded festival or celebration in the British Isles around the vernal equinox period is the pre-Eastertide period of Lent.
“From its earliest recorded occurrence, in Anglo-Saxon texts dated to the beginning of the eleventh century, the word ‘lenten’ had the dual meaning of the season of spring and the major annual Christian fast. It seems to derive simply from the ‘lengthening’ of the daylight.... It was... a season at which flowers, foliage, warmth, and light were all increasing and yet food and fuel would also be at their shortest. The time was admirably suited to a period of self-denial and spiritual doubt culminating in the rejoicing of [Easter].” (Hutton, 1996, ch. 16)
Despite romantic claims to the contrary, it’s demonstrably proven that no aspects of modern or historical Easter celebrations have pre-Christian roots (aside from its obvious connection with Passover).
The Vernal Equinox itself marks the new year in many countries and cultures.
I highly recommend Ronald Hutton’s Stations of the Sun (1996) for a thorough history of the British ritual year.
How to celebrate the Spring Equinox in Australia:
While there are obviously a whole bunch of traditional activities associated with the Christian and Wiccan celebrations at the Spring Equinox, what if you don't really vibe with those? After all, they're based on what's going on in the UK (or sometimes the US) in 6 months time, and while it's roughly the same point in the seasonal cycle, our landscape, lifestyle, and even seasons are still quite different.
- Welcome the energy of spring by bathing with thyme and marjoram, to spring-clean your emotional space and leave negative experiences and energies in the past.
- Open the curtains/blinds to let sunlight in! If it’s practical, you might also open the windows for a time to let in some fresh air.
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Spring cleaning the rest of your space is a great thing to do at this time, as well, whether it’s a large undertaking, or you only have the capacity for something small.
- If the weather is appropriate, consider taking off your warm winter bedsheets and replacing them with fresh/clean summer sheets!
- Now would be the time to plant any seeds or seedlings that haven’t been planted yet, as well as re-pot any existing plants that are in need.
- If you haven’t started working towards any of the goals you set at the Quickening, now is the time to start taking the first steps.
- Decorate your home or altar (or yourself!) with florals! If you don’t have access to fresh flowers, look for fresh/floral scents, floral fabrics and patterns, or other flower imagery.
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Eggs are also a traditional symbol of the spring equinox - While it might be challenging to find chocolate eggs this time of year if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, decorating and dyeing eggs can still be a fun creative activity!
- If you’re not interested in incorporating real eggs in your practice, consider other egg-inspired crafts (like decorating paper cut-outs), or collect plastic eggs when they’re on sale at Easter to bring out for spring décor.
What does the Spring/Vernal Equinox mean to you?
I'd love to hear what this festival looks like for you - especially if you've personalised, localised, or otherwise adapted something unique!
For a little more about my own festival (including my ritual script and some of my favourite seasonal recipes), you can check out my VernEx zine!
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*: Southern Hemisphere dates based on Perth, WA (GMT+8); Northern Hemisphere dates based on GMT. Find the date/time based on your location here.