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Welcome to my post for the
MFRW Spring Fever Blog Hop
Spring is finally sprung! Time flies, we're over a quarter of the way through the year already!
It's been a long winter in the UK. The weather hasn't been too extreme in the area where I live, but it's been wet and miserable - until last week when spring suddenly arrived. The sun came out and it was really pleasant outdoors.
This picture is of the track down to the bridleway. The farmer has prepared the soil ready for sowing and the cheery daffodils sway their heads in the breeze.
The crocuses in my garden decided it was safe to show their flowery faces without being soaked with rain or blown to pieces, while the daffodils were actually in bloom for St David's Day this year (March 1st and the birds are building their nests.
I love this time of year, the spring flowers are so fresh and colourful and the hedgerows are beginning to turn green again and nature is bursting with new life.
Last week I was able to take the horse's blankets off and let them feel the sun on their backs for the first time this year.
It's quite hard to stay indoors when it's so nice outside. Soon it will be warm enough for me to take my laptop into the garden so then I'll have no excuse for not working on my next futuristic romance, which I have a feeling might turn into Steampunk.
Easter is just around the corner, so to finish I thought I'd mention the origins of how we celebrate this Festival. The name Easter actually comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor. According to my research:
"In primitive agricultural societies natural phenomena, such as rainfall, the fecundity of the earth, and the regeneration of nature were frequently personified.
One of the most important pagan myths was the search of the earth goddess for her lost (or dead) child or lover (e.g., Isis and Osiris, Ishtar and Tammuz, Demeter and Persephone). This myth, symbolizing the birth, death, and reappearance of vegetation, when acted out in a sacred drama, was the fertility rite par excellence."(The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001)
One of the most important pagan myths was the search of the earth goddess for her lost (or dead) child or lover (e.g., Isis and Osiris, Ishtar and Tammuz, Demeter and Persephone). This myth, symbolizing the birth, death, and reappearance of vegetation, when acted out in a sacred drama, was the fertility rite par excellence."(The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001)
"The name of a feast,
according to the Venerable Bede, comes from Eostre, A Teutonic goddess whose festival was celebrated in the spring. The name was given to the Christian festival in celebration of the resurrected Eostre. It was she who, according to the legend, opened the portals of Valhalla to receive Baldur, called the white god because of his purity and also the sun god because his brow supplied light to mankind. It was Baldur who, after he had been murdered by Loki, the enemy of goodness and truth, spent half the year in Valhalla and the other half with the pale goddess of the lower regions. As the festival of Eostre was a celebration of the renewal of life in the spring it was easy to make it a celebration of the resurrection from the dead of Jesus. There is no doubt that the church in its early days adopted the old pagan customs and gave a Christian meaning to them."
So, like Christmas the early Christians adapted the pagan Festival of Eostre and it became our Easter. So, technically we should refer to Easter Sunday, as 'Resurrection Sunday' as this would be a truer name for what we are celebrating.
I'll leave you with a question. What is your favourite season? Do you like the cold beauty of a snowy winter and Christmas, the gold and red of autumn glory, Halloween and Thanksgiving, the richness and warmth of summer, Holidays and trips, or like me the freshness and newness of spring and Easter?
Leave a comment and 'follow' my Blog if you would, and I'll put you in the draw to win a $10.00 Gift Cert) Or the equivalent in pounds if you live in the UK)
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Leave a comment and 'follow' my Blog if you would, and I'll put you in the draw to win a $10.00 Gift Cert) Or the equivalent in pounds if you live in the UK)
I hope you have a lovely Easter or Resurrection Sunday, and I wish you a beautiful spring.
You can also read a FREE fantasy short story 'A Bargain With Death' on my page at The Wild Rose Press (You'll have to go through the 'checkout' precedure, but don't worry, you won't get charged.)
Hi from Canada. We had a cold, hard winter here with lots of snow. You are fortunate to have horses. Our most wonderful friends I think. I like autumn best with crisp cool mornings and warm days. I feel so energetic in August. A very nice blog.
ReplyDeleteHi MM, thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, so glad you like my blog. Yes, I've loved horses since I was tiny (although I'm not very big now, LOL) and saved up for five years as soon as I left school and got a job so I could buy my first horse. We didn't have any snow this year, and i have to admit I love it - although we nervr have enough for it to be a problem like you probably do. Yes, Autumn can be beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI like summer which is why I live in Florida. It's warm year round. I did grow up in the northeast and had my share of ice and snow. It looks as though you live on a farm?
ReplyDeleteI wish! Unfortunately we don't own any land and the horses live half an hour's drive away which is quite hard in the winter when the days are short and they need feeding every day whatever the weather, but they're worth it.
ReplyDeleteI miss spring like crazy! This is the sub tropics and lilacs and hyacinth are my favorite flowers! I do have a lilac at Sharon's still!
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures and find the pagan myths fascinating. And since I am not a cold weather gal, I love the warmer weather!
ReplyDeleteI live on my boat North of Washington State in the summer and in the Central Coast of California the rest of the year. I CHASE THE SUN...not too hot, however...keep it below 75 degrees. I lived 33 years in Seattle...I'm catching up on sun now :-) Thanks for the story of Easter. Happy Spring!
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, Lilly and Rolynn. Thanks for visiting and commenting on my post in this Blog Hop. I hope you'll visit the other authors too. Mary, I can't imagine what it's like not to have spring. I love seeing the spring flowers, snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and tulips. I hope Sharon's lilac will flower soon. My lilac tree is in leaf at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWarm weather is nice, Lilly, as long as it doesn't get too hot! Rolynn, it must be wonderful to live on a boat. how lovely.
I like spring and fall because they are not so cold or hot and because that are very colorful.
ReplyDeleteI follow via GFC under Stacey Smith
sasluvbooks at yahoo dot com
Hi Stacey/ I agree, spring and fall are beautiful seasons. But then I guess each season has somethng to offer according to personal taste.
ReplyDeleteIn New Mexico, we're in an opposite weather pattern...high and dry. Spring means the Irises are starting to bloom but we can have more snow as late as Mother's day
ReplyDeleteOh irises are so lovely - they bloom a little later here in the UK.Our Mother's day is in March so we could have had snow - but didn't. Thank for commenting.
ReplyDelete