Spring Equinox, Eggs and Seeds

With the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox just around the corner for those of us residing south of the equator, there are still two traditional symbols associated with this festival - that of the egg and the seed.

Eggs are one of the symbols of this festival since they represent new life and potential. Folklore tells us (combining two themes of the season) that eggs balance on their ends most easily at equinox.  Femininst author, Z Budapest, in her book Grandmother of Time says that eggs were dyed red (the color of life) on the Festival of Astarte (17 March, close to the time of the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere). 

The beautifully decorated eggs from the Ukraine (pysanky) are covered with magical symbols for protection, fertility, wisdom, strength and other qualities.  They are given as gifts and used as charms.

Seeds are like eggs. While eggs contain the promise of new animal life, seeds hold the potential of a new plant. In ancient Italy in the spring, women planted gardens of Adonis.  They filled urns with grain seeds, kept the in the dark and watered them every two days. This custom persists in Sicily. Women plant seeds of grains — lentils, fennel, lettuce or flowers — in baskets and pots.  When they sprout, the stalks are tied with red ribbons and the gardens are placed on graves on Good Friday (again, which falls around the time of the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere).  They symbolize the triumph of life over death.

Source: School of the Seasons