The Spring Equinox: Ancient Celebrations & Rituals for Renewal
The equinox is a moment of perfect balance—when day and night are equal, and we stand at the threshold of renewal. A special 3-card oracle reading for the season is included in this post.
The Spring Equinox arrives on March 20th at 2:01 AM PST. At this moment, the sun crosses the celestial equator, marking the official arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere—and the Earth awakens from its winter slumber.
For centuries, our ancestors around the world honored this sacred transition with festivals, rituals, and monuments aligned with the sun.
Ancient and Traditional Spring Equinox Festivals
Many ancient cultures recognized the equinox as a turning point, and as a time of fertility, growth, and cosmic balance. Some built monuments that aligned with the sun’s movement, while others held festivals welcoming the return of warmth and light.
Megalithic Monuments & Sun Alignments
Cahokia Woodhenge (Illinois, USA): This series of large timber circles was constructed by the Mississippian culture. The placements of the posts are thought to align with solar events, marking solstices and equinoxes, and possibly serving as a calendar.
Cairn T of Loughcrew (Ireland)
This Neolithic tomb aligns with the rising sun on the equinox, illuminating intricate carvings that may represent the cycle of life and rebirth.
Chaco Canyon (New Mexico, USA): The Ancestral Puebloans built structures in Chaco Culture National Historical Park that align with solar and lunar cycles. Notably, the "Sun Dagger" petroglyph on Fajada Butte marks the solstices and equinoxes through patterns of light and shadow.
Chichen Itza (Mayan Civilization)
The Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo) is famous for the “serpent of light” that appears on the steps at sunset during the equinox, symbolizing renewal and divine presence.
Giza Pyramids (Egypt): The Great Pyramids are oriented with cardinal points and exhibit celestial alignments. During the equinoxes, the sun sets between the pyramids of Khafra and Khufu, aligning with the Sphinx.
Stonehenge (England)
Though often associated with solstices, Stonehenge’s design also aligns with the rising sun around the equinoxes, suggesting it played a role in marking seasonal change.
Indigenous People of North America
Anishnaabe Wabunowin Ceremony
Among the Anishinaabe peoples, the Wabunowin, or "Dawn Society," conducts ceremonies during the equinoxes and solstices. The Spring Equinox, known as Minookamin, is celebrated just after the maple camps, focusing on the Spirit of the East and symbolizing new beginnings.
Pawnee Spring Awakening Ceremony
The Pawnee tribe observes the Spring Awakening ceremony, aligning agricultural activities with celestial events. This ritual signifies the renewal of the earth and the readiness for planting, emphasizing harmony with natural and cosmic cycles.
Ute Bear Dance
The Ute people celebrate the Bear Dance, a ceremony marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring. This event includes dancing, feasting, and socializing, reflecting themes of renewal and community bonding.
Chūnfēn (China)
In China, the Spring Equinox (Chūnfēn, 春分) is one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional calendar, symbolizing balance and renewal. People observe this time by balancing eggs (a folk tradition representing harmony), eating fresh spring vegetables for health, and in some regions, offering sacrifices to the Sun God. In Beijing, the Zhonghe Festival honors the sun with special round cakes called Sun Cakes. These customs reflect the equinox’s role in aligning with nature’s cycles.
Día de la Primavera (Mexico)
In Mexico, the Day of the Spring, or Día de la Primavera, coincides with the Spring Equinox. Festivities include parades, dances, and children dressed as flowers and animals, celebrating the renewal of nature.
Hilaria: The Roman Festival of Joy
In Ancient Rome, the equinox was celebrated with Hilaria, honoring Cybele, the Great Mother Goddess. Festivities included games, masquerades, and rituals to welcome renewal.
Holi (India)
Holi, known as the Festival of Colors, is celebrated in Northern India around the time of the Spring Equinox. Participants joyfully throw colored powders at each other, symbolizing the vibrant colors of spring and the victory of good over evil.
Matopäivä (Day of the Snakes)
In pre-Christian Finland, the Spring Equinox was known as Matopäivä, meaning "Day of the Snakes." It was believed that on this day, snakes and worms awoke from hibernation, symbolizing the earth's reawakening.
Nowruz: The Persian New Year
A festival still widely celebrated today, Nowruz falls exactly on the equinox. This Zoroastrian-rooted tradition includes spring cleaning, setting up a symbolic table (Haft-Seen), lighting candles, and fire-jumping to clear away old energy.
Norse: Blóts
The Norse marked seasonal changes with blóts, sacrificial feasts to honor deities. The Spring Equinox, sometimes associated with Ostara, involved offerings to gods and goddesses like Freyr and Freyja to ensure fertility and prosperity.
Ostara—Easter, and the Spring Equinox: A Shared Story of Renewal
While Ostara, the spring equinox, and Easter are distinct, they share deep symbolic connections.
Ostara, named for the Germanic goddess Eostre, is a modern pagan festival honoring fertility, balance, and the return of light. Many Easter symbols—eggs, hares, and spring flowers—originate from older fertility traditions.
Easter itself is tied to the equinox and moon cycles. In Christian tradition, it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21, symbolizing resurrection and renewal.
While these traditions evolved separately, they reflect the same truth: darkness gives way to light, and new life emerges from the stillness of winter.
Passover (Jewish Tradition)
Passover, or Pesach, is a significant Jewish festival that often falls around the Spring Equinox. It commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, featuring rituals like the Seder meal and the retelling of the Exodus story.
Sámi Traditions
The Sámi people of northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, observe an eight-season calendar deeply connected to reindeer herding and natural cycles. While they don't have a specific celebration for the Spring Equinox, this period, known as "Giđđadálvvuođđi" (spring-winter), is significant for reindeer herders as they prepare for the reindeer's migration
Shunbun no Hi (Japan)
A Shinto and Buddhist holiday that aligns with the equinox, honoring the balance of nature. Many visit family graves, reflect on their ancestors, and appreciate the changing seasons, emphasizing harmony and gratitude.
Songkran (Thailand)
Songkran, celebrated shortly after the Spring Equinox, marks the Thai New Year. Festivities include visiting Buddhist monasteries, paying respects to elders, and lively water fights in the streets, symbolizing purification and fresh beginnings.
Rituals to Celebrate the Spring Equinox
Just as for our ancient ancestors, the Spring Equinox is a time of balance, renewal, and preparation for growth. As the earth awakens, we, too, can align with its cycles by setting intentions, releasing the old, and mindfully preparing for the season ahead.
Some cultures, like the Celts and Indigenous tribes, honored the equinox with ceremonies involving sacred waters, bonfires, and offerings to nature spirits for balance and harmony.
Many agricultural societies used the equinox as a time to plant crops, believing the balance of day and night ensured a prosperous harvest.
Release and Set Intentions With the Moon
Use this sacred equinox time to reflect on what you wish to cultivate in the coming months. Write down what you are releasing and what you are inviting in—your intentions—on a piece of paper and choose how to honor them:
Place them on your altar with a crystal such as citrine (abundance), amethyst (spiritual clarity), or aventurine (growth) to amplify your energy.
Charge Them Under Waning Moon: On the night of the Waning Gibbous Moon, March 20, place your written intentions on a windowsill, allowing the lingering full moon energy to illuminate them. The waning moon is a time to let go of what no longer serves you, to release and repair. It’s also a time for grounding, to do boundary and protection magic work.
Reaffirm your intentions during the New Moon on March 29, a powerful time for fresh starts. On this night, reread your intentions, refine them if needed, and commit to taking small steps toward their manifestation.
Mindful Garden Planning: Preparing for the Growing Season
In most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s too early to plant or clean up garden beds, as pollinators and beneficial insects are still resting in leaves and soil. Instead, this is the perfect time to observe, research, and plan for the season ahead. Some seeds can be started indoors now for planting out in a few weeks. It’s also time to check your seeds to see if you need to reorder.
Choose seeds with intention: Select plants that align with your goals for the season. For example:
Sunflowers for joy and confidence
Basil for abundance and prosperity
Lavender for peace and relaxation
Chamomile for patience and healing
Native wildflowers to support bees and butterflies
Research companion planting to see which plants thrive together.
Sketch your garden layout or plan your container garden if working with small spaces.
Special Note: Hold off on garden cleanup until temperatures are consistently above 10°C (50°F) for at least seven days. Some pollinators take even longer to emerge, so if you can wait until daytime temps reach 15°C (59°F) with no frost at night, even better. This gives bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects the time they need to wake up and start their season safely.
Releasing the Old: Fire Ritual
Just as we welcome new beginnings, we must also make space for them by releasing what no longer serves us.
Light a candle. Write down what you need to release—limiting beliefs, habits, fears, or anything holding you back.
Burn the paper using the candle, in a fireproof dish, allowing the smoke to carry away the old energy, making room for renewal.
If you are outdoors you can use a small bonfire to burn—invite your friends and create a new ritual to share with them!
Creating a Spring Altar
A seasonal altar is a beautiful way to honor the energy of the equinox and keep your intentions present throughout the season.
You can create an altar on a shelf, a small table, or even a windowsill.
To set up your altar:
Lay a base – Use a cloth, wooden board, plate, or natural material to ground the space.
Add symbols of spring – Choose items that represent renewal, balance, and growth, such as:
Spring flowers (daffodils, tulips, violets) to celebrate rebirth
Eggs as symbols of fertility and new beginnings
Crystals such as moonstone (intuition), aventurine (growth), or citrine (abundance)
Seeds or seed packets to honor future growth
Include an oracle or tarot card – Pull a card that represents your focus for the season and place it on the altar.
Light a candle – Fire represents the balance of light and dark as we shift into the longer days of spring.
You can visit your altar daily, adding fresh flowers, resetting intentions, or simply using it as a place for reflection and gratitude.
Cleanse Your Space and Spirit
Just as many cultures practice spring cleaning during this time, cleanse your home with salt, herbs, or incense to clear stagnant energy. Spring cleaning is more than a household chore—it is an energetic reset.
Protect your home by sprinkling salt along window sills and doorways to discourage negative energy from entering.
Burn herbs such as sage, sweetgrass, or cedar to cleanse your space. Open a window while doing this to allow stagnant energy to escape.
By embracing these rituals, we honor the balance of light and dark, endings and beginnings, rest and renewal.
A Celestial Moment of Transformation
This spring equinox, let’s pause and recognize the balance within and around us. Just as the Earth shifts into a new cycle, we, too, are invited to shed the old, embrace the light, and step into renewal.
You may wish to work with the oracle cards below as part of your seasonal rituals, using them for altar work, intention setting, or meditation as you align with the equinox’s call for balance and transformation.
Spring Equinox 3-Card Oracle Reading
What themes are emerging for this season? As nature shifts, so do we.
This Spring Equinox invites us to release the old, embrace renewal, and step into new beginnings. The oracle cards drawn for this reading—Orca, Pincushion Flower, and Daffodil—offer insight into the energies of this sacred turning point.
Let’s explore the wisdom they share.
Past Influences:
Orca (Guidance & Soul Nourishment)
From the Eco Heart Oracle
Orca carries the wisdom of the ancestors, reminding us of the knowledge and love passed through generations. This past season may have been a time of reflection, deep learning, or reconnecting with the rhythms of nature and your own inner voice.
Guidance: Orca calls you to nourish your soul. When was the last time you listened to music that truly moved you? Let sound be your guide—listen to whale song or meditative music, and allow it to awaken a sense of deep peace and connection.
Emerging Patterns:
Pincushion Flower (Pure Love & Comfort)
From the Alchemy Flower Oracle
The answer is love. There is no other answer. Pincushion Flower speaks to healing, safety, and the realization that love is always present. If you’ve been seeking clarity or reassurance, this card reminds you that you are held in love, always.
Guidance: Move forward with love as your guiding force. When in doubt, return to the simple mantra: Love is the answer.
Potential Within the Situation
Daffodil (New Beginnings & Joy)
From the Alchemy Flower Oracle
Spring is here, and Daffodil calls you to awaken. This is a time to embrace joy, step into renewal, and celebrate life’s unfolding. Just as daffodils bloom in harmony with the Earth, you are part of this great cycle of renewal.
Guidance: Notice the signs of spring around you—the lengthening days, the first buds. Let them remind you that you, too, are blossoming.
Closing:
This Spring Equinox the keywords are: remember, love, and awaken.
Orca reminds you to nourish your soul. Pincushion Flower calls you back to love. Daffodil invites you to embrace new beginnings with joy.
May this season bring you renewal and inspiration as you step into the light of spring.