Easter Symbolism
Greetings, all.
Witches celebrate the birth of Spring and the reawakening of life from the earth during the Spring Equinox Sabbat, which is today. I won’t bore you with those details but this you might find somewhat interesting.
The holiday celebrates and honors Eostre, the Saxon Lunar Goddess of Fertility. This festival was Christianized by the church into the religious holiday Easter. Easter still follows the same (ancient) lunar calendar so it falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon on or after the Spring Equinox.
Witches decorate eggs, which are a symbol of fertility. Today eggs are decorated differently by Christians…no ankhs and pentagrams. But the tradition carried on.
Ostara, the German Goddess of Fertility, is also honored at this time. She (and most lunar goddesses) consider the hare sacred and Ostara is often depicted with a rabbit.
So there it is…why Easter eggs are decorated and why rabbits are associated with Easter. Luckily the tradition is eating chocolate bunnies instead of hasenpfeffer. (After all, Ostara was German!)
It's funny you tell this, Storm. My friend and I were just discussing what eggs and rabbits have to do with Easter. Can you tell me why I rearrange my house and have a dead tree in my living room throughout the month of December?
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Snil,
The Winter Solstice Sabbat, or Yule, is the longest night of the year and it marks the time when the days grow longer and the nights grow shorter.
During Yule the rebirth of the Sun God is celebrated. Yule logs are burned as are red candles. The Great Mother Goddess is honored and pine trees are associated with her. The lights and ornaments hung on the tree are symbols of the sun, moon, and stars. They also represent departed souls who are remembered at the end of the year. Sacred presents were placed on the tree as offerings to deities like Attis, who is also associated with the pine tree, and Dionysus. This evolved into the exchanging of x mas gifts.
So that's it in a nutshell.
Um, this December you might want to try watering your tree
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Seems like a bunch of us talked about that. During a lul in work we talked about the whole "whats up with the rabbit and egg thing anyway?"
I guess thats what happens when you are around people that either don't believe or are not devout.
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Happy Spring everybody!!
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Well Storm, I am truly impressed with your knowledge. I thought it was an annual torture test for parents as they watch their blessed cherubs breaking the most expensive or meaningful ornaments (couldn't they just smash the cheap green ball one). I must admit, I like the whole tra la la la la feeling. It gives me the warm and fuzzies. But it's a bitch taking all the stuff down and receiving the Visa bill. Watering....ah, good reminder!
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