Heartwings Love Notes 976 Festival of Rebirth
By: Tasha Halpert
www.heartwingsandfriends.com.
Heartwings says: “Spring brings festivals of rebirth.”
As I look around my home, I see the dust and disarray that has gathered during the low light of the winter months. After all, if you can’t see it you can’t very well clean it. And to be sure, during the cold weather, I move more slowly and sleep later, which means there are less daylight hours to get things like cleaning done. This is the downside to the longer light hours of spring: the revelation of my tasks that lie ahead. However, I am much better off than the homemakers of previous centuries.
Spring house cleaning in years gone by was quite a chore. Homes were lit by fires, and later by coal furnaces. The smoke from the heat source would permeate the home, adhering to everything from floors to walls to curtains and more. I feel fortunate that I don’t need to beat my rugs as they hang on the clothesline, wash the walls and floors with harsh soap and water carried in buckets from the pump, take down the drapes and curtains and shake them, and more.
As it does for our homes, spring cleaning for the planet comes once a year. The earth too needs to do a rebirth and refresh. In addition to the spring winds and rains that arrive to do visible and actual cleanup, there are festivals in many cultures that have arisen to symbolize the renewal that comes at this time. The Internet is a great source for these celebrations. They include Holi in India, Cherry blossom festivals in Japan, Tulip festivals in Holland and many more.
There are also many familiar rituals associated with spring celebrations: the wearing of new clothes, attendance at sacred and/or religious services and ceremonies, gifts that are said to be brought by the Easter Bunny, the hunt for Easter eggs, and traditional family gatherings where certain foods are served. Easter is the name many in the USA associate with our spring festival. It is a joyous opportunity to honor the beauty together with the new life that emerges as we celebrate the festival of rebirth embodied in spring.
May your Spring celebrations be filled with joy and happy occasions.
Blessings and best regards, Tasha Halpert
PS How do you celebrate the season? For some it is a religious holiday, others celebrate in secular ways. Most do celebrate spring one way or another. I am so happy when readers share their thoughts and experiences, thanks for doing so to tashahal@aol.com.