(Royalty free image from Depositphotos, created by korovin)
Springtime marks the celebration of newness in the northern hemisphere, and the celebration of gifts and rebirth in the southern hemisphere. All connect us to our humanity and the planet we both rely on for survival and share. That common thread is why there are so many religious holidays occurring around the spring equinox, given that many popular faiths originated in the northern hemisphere.
What's interesting to me is how much the exact dates vary year over year. The spring equinox, or vernal equinox, itself occurs annually within the three day window of March 19-21. This variation is because the duration of a year varies, which is why we incorporate a "leap year" every four years. Even that isn't perfect, but a close enough adjustment for many, many lifetimes.
Religious holidays vary far more, as they are based on the calendars each faith follows. The greatest holiday occurrence variation is Ramadan, which starts on the ninth month of the Hijri calendar, and lasts through one lunar cycle of crescent moons. The result? It shifts earlier every Roman calendar year by 10-11 days. This year it began on March 11th; next year it will be March 1st.
The Jewish holidays of Purim and Passover are determined by the Hebrew calendar month Nisan, the first month in their ecclesiastical year. That keeps their occurrence within a month's time on the Gregorian calendar. Passover happens after the first full moon of Nisan. Their calendar is marked by numerous events, some of which were to counteract pagan holidays, and thus need to remain in and around a specific time.
Roman Christianity also utilizes nature's patterns and pagan celebrations to determine their celebrations. Easter sets the surrounding dates here, and occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon in Spring or after the Spring Equinox. Orthodox Christian Easter in Europe, Africa and the Middle East is later, based on the Orthodox calendar. The term 'Easter' itself comes from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility, who was often portrayed in drawings surrounded by hares and was believed to be worshiped during pagan festivals.
(And now you know why Christian Easter is celebrated with bunnies and eggs!)
So, as Tevye continually noted in the movie "Fiddler on the Roof", the overarching reasoning behind all of this is...Tradition!
Mother nature's calendar is fairly fixed and recurrent with each loop around the sun. Mankind's calendars are created to both remind us of our past, capture our present, and gaze towards the future with prediction and hope. Some calendar events, like Christmas and Easter, are situated to counteract pagan rituals. Regardless, they give us our identity among other humans on this big blue marble we share. Together, they mark the passing of time, and in reflection, nudge us to remember that this exact moment in time will never happen again. And again. So, as a human, take time. Make your use of time a choice, and may your memories fill your soul with wisdom.
