living seasonally: spring guide

Happy almost spring! The spring equinox is my new year, so I’m extra excited about what is being birthed in the season ahead. In order to be more mindful and intentional about the season to come, I’ve turned some of my beginning-of-the-season practices into a short guide in hopes of helping you to be more purposeful this spring.

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Celebrating spring. A big part of enjoying living seasonally is incorporating more seasonal celebrating. If you’re looking for some last minute ideas to celebrate the spring equinox, here are a few:

• For many centuries prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, the new year coincided with the spring equinox, so many ancient cultures celebrated with twelve days of feasting beginning with the spring equinox. Traditionally, eggs are associated with the spring equinox. Or try one of these recipes using spring vegetables.
• Easter, Passover, and Nowruz celebrations are traditionally preceded by a thorough house cleaning, which I always seem to be in the mood for after the long, dark months of winter. I’m trying to talk the family into a deep cleaning now, so that we can already be prepared by the time Passover and Easter get here.
• Sizdah Be-dar is a holiday that I can seriously get behind. It is celebrated the thirteenth day of Nowruz, the Persian new year celebration. It literally means “Thirteen outdoor,” but also means “Nature’s Day.” To celebrate, you get up early in the morning and spend from sun up to sun down outside enjoying nature. Yes, please.
• St. Joseph’s Day typically falls on March 19th and is an especially important holiday for Italians. Lady Day is typically celebrated March 25th and is the traditional name of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Mary. It was today that the Archangel Gabriel told Mary she was going to give birth to Jesus. Swedes, Germans, and the English traditionally celebrate Lady Day.
• Read about how the spring equinox has been celebrated throughout history.
• Celebrate the equinox by telling stories together. Global Storytelling Day falls on the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere every year. I love using the StoryCorps app at family gatherings and special events to record each other’s stories in an easy and not intimidating format.
• Bookmark this idea to try with the kids for Easter – or maybe the week after when all of the candy goes on sale.
• A few past spring-related posts in case you need some inspiration for the season ahead: a recap and some spring links.

However you decide to celebrate the coming season, I hope it is a wonderful one!