How Equinox Is Celebrated Throughout The World
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By :
Andrew Gibson
Submitted
2008-07-21 17:22:24 |
To celebrate Equinox this year, try sending out free e-cards. You can send e-cards to friends, family, colleagues, or anyone else that has a computer connected to the internet.
Free e-cards are gradually starting to dominate the card market, and have never stopped growing since the internet took of. E cards are environmentally friendly and obviously are totally free.
You can include any message you wish in a free e-card, and they come in all sorts of varieties, so you could cheer someone up with a humerous card, or share your condolences with a very moving, heart felt card.
Equinox is the term that describes the day on which the Sun's plane intersects with the Equator, making the length of night and day absolutely equal on all parts of the Earth. This event takes place twice a year, around March 21st and September 22nd, and these dates are referred to as Vernal and Autumnal Equinox, respectively.
In the Northern hemisphere, the Vernal Equinox represents the beginning of spring and is traditionally regarded as an auspicious occasion symbolizing renaissance and renewal, both in the natural and spiritual context.
Similarly, the Autumnal Equinox marks the beginning of fall, another season rich in beauty and suggestive of the perpetual life cycle that exists on Earth. The Vernal Equinox also represents the New Year for many past and contemporary civilizations, from ancient Romans to Islamic cultures worldwide.
Buddhists observe a festival called Higan, which celebrates the balance and harmony of each equinox, believed to be symbolic of the spiritual teachings of Buddha. In Japan, the Vernal Equinox is a national holiday when all families pay homage to deceased relatives and imperial ancestors with joyful ceremonies, which celebrate continuity and rebirth.
There are many cultures and traditions that ascribe a great deal of astronomical, physical, and spiritual significance to the equinox. The Vernal Equinox is associated with balance, celestial alignment, and concurrence of both earthly and spiritual elements.
According to ancient beliefs, a particular deity ruled each season of the year. A goddess called Eostre, thought to be an ancient term for dawn, was the ruler of spring and it is in her honor that the pagan festival Ostara is celebrated to this day by Wiccans.
As part of the Japanese celebration of the Vernal Equinox, food, flowers, and incense are offered to the dead during ceremonial visits to burial grounds. This long-standing custom has expanded into giving similar gifts to neighbors, friends, and members of the community.
Regardless of location or culture, the dates of the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox correspondingly reflect the start of particular seasons, and offer a certain perspective by observing the natural cycle, as well as being the celebration of its fruits.
In Latin, 'equinox' means equal night.
Free e-cards are sent by millions of people each year, and you too could be doing it right now. E cards cost you absolutely nothing, so you have nothing to loose when sending e-cards. Another great thing about free e-cards is that you can send them to nearly anywhere in the world. |
Author Resource:-
Andrew Gibson is MD of Greeting-Cards.com. It has thousands of free ecards to choose from for birthdays and all occasions. Many people now send Free e-cards to celebrate Equinox and select them from http://www.Greeting-Cards.com
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