A Spring Celebration?

[jazzybaby9]

Hi all!

I'm not especially religious, but I would like to celebrate the changing of the seasons. I would like some ideas for making it a special time for dd. Maybe dye some eggs, have an egg hunt, make a basket, get her some chocolates, but any special way to celebrate Mother Nature's beauty and preparation for blooming? Any meals to prepare? Any activities or prayers?


TIA

[Jade's Mom]

Originally Posted by jazzybaby9

Hi all!

I'm not especially religious, but I would like to celebrate the changing of the seasons. I would like some ideas for making it a special time for dd. Maybe dye some eggs, have an egg hunt, make a basket, get her some chocolates, but any special way to celebrate Mother Nature's beauty and preparation for blooming? Any meals to prepare? Any activities or prayers?


TIA

I'd recommend checking out the Pagan thread or the Ostara thread. There are women of varying earth-centered pagan beliefs and lots of good ways to celebrate nature and the changing seasons.

[wombatclay]

I know it's a bit late, but yes... there are often pagan threads around the seasonal holidays that have a lot of general activity ideas (not specifically religious). The Beltaine thread (so May Day) is here if you want to browse.

There's also a really nice book called "Celebrating the Great Mother". Although the author is pagan and the book certainly has a pagan/new age flavor the focus of the book is creating earth centered family traditions, celebrating the changing seasons, and all that good stuff. Amazon usually has it but it looks like they're between orders right now or something... your local library may have a copy, or be able to get one through interlibrary loan.

Let's see... just flipping through my copy, the spring season project ideas include planting beans to "grow" intentions or growing sprouts, making incense, honoring the birds, creating a natural spring basket, doing a treasure hunt for spring things (like a walk as the sun comes up where you count birds, or look for new flowers, or point out bird nests, and collect sticks/feathers/stones to make a spring collage), making a garden goddess/wind chime, making scented oils or bath salts, and special foods to make and share. There are more ideas, recipes, individual/group celebration ideas, etc in the book.

Other books (like Circle Round) have even more ideas but are more specifically pagan... I really like Celebrating the Great Mother for more "generic" earth honoring activities.

[JamieCatheryn]

I heard a great may day tradition recently of children picking baskets full of flowers to leave on neighbor's doorsteps. Making crowns of flowers and young branches. There's always the maypole thing if you have lots of people to do it. Visit the baby animals at a local farm maybe? Perhaps a nearby Waldorf school's celebration would be nice to participate in.