Marigolds and celebration

I had a hard time in trying not to giggle maniacally in Wally World this morning. They had put out all kinds of seeds at either four for a dollar or ten for a dollar – including several different varieties of marigolds. I ended up with fourteen packs: two of calendula, three (or four?) cosmos, and the rest marigolds. It was a good start.

In Mexico, during the Day of the Dead (celebrated somewhere between Oct. 29 and Oct. 31), marigold petals cover the paths from the cemetery to the family altar so the deceased loved ones can find their way home, as well as back to their resting place at the end of the festival. Those petals also serve to show that, although they may have passed on, the deceased are still very much remembered and loved.

It would seem to me that the sight of all those marigolds growing throughout the year would be a constant reminder of how much we owe to our ancestors, even though we may not even know some of their names, instead of remembering them only on Samhain.

(Samhain: pronounced ‘sow-in’ in Irish traditions, ‘sa-veen’ in Scottish. It is celebrated around Oct. 31, although some may celebrate it on Nov. 2. Some consider it the last of three harvest festivals, because the last of the crops are usually brought in by this time. Others consider it the beginning of a new year. Since it is a time that the Earth is “gearing down,” and many of the deciduous plants are going dormant, it is also a time to reminisce about those who have gone before us.)

Here I am, doing the usual for me: the Vernal Equinox is coming up on the twentieth and my head is in my “other” favorite time of the year.

I refuse to call the Equinox anything other than what it is for me. I will not call it Ostara, or Eostre, or whatever other holiday it is called. I don’t follow any of those paths. They don’t mean much to me. It’s not that I haven’t tried. They just don’t fit.

The Equinox signals the beginning of Spring. A time where the Earth is waking up from her winter sleep. All kinds of new beings are showing their faces. Daffodils are smiling at the sun, the herbs are beginning to peek out of the ground and all kinds of little critters are seeing the world for the first time.

Isn’t that special enough?

Thanks for reading - until next time...

Ciao.