[InOne]

Does this mean we'll get longer and brighter days now?

[Kate!]

yeh, should do. I think today (21st) is officially the first day of Spring

[Niamh.]

It means it will be brighter later

[Livia]

I hope today's 20th or my diary's *******ed.

[Kate!]

oh yes, sorry .... getting ahead of myself. Thought it was Wednesday today for some strange reason

[Livia]

I was both worried and a little bit hopeful there for a minute, Kate!

[Kate!]

Originally Posted by Livia

I was both worried and a little bit hopeful there for a minute, Kate!

I'm easily confused Livia

[Niamh.]

So do the clocks go back at midnight tonight then or midnight tomorrow night?

[InOne]

Oh god I hate all this nonsense

[MTVN]

Clocks don't go forward till the weekend I don't think, an hour less in bed

[Livia]

I'll tell ya something interesting about the Spring Equinox... It's the Pagan festival of Oestra, named after the fertility goddess Oestra. Her symbols are eggs (obviously, for a fertility goddess) and Hares - because of the spring. Christians liked to nick Pagan festivals and put their own festivals on them - it's a power thing. So Oestra became Easter, and eggs are given... and the hare became the Easter Bunny. Interesting, eh? Oh, and the female hormone oestrogen is named after Oestra.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'll tell ya something interesting about the Spring Equinox... It's the Pagan festival of Oestra, named after the fertility goddess Oestra. Her symbols are eggs (obviously, for a fertility goddess) and Hares - because of the spring. Christians liked to nick Pagan festivals and put their own festivals on them - it's a power thing. So Oestra became Easter, and eggs are given... and the hare became the Easter Bunny. Interesting, eh? Oh, and the female hormone oestrogen is named after Oestra.

Happy oestara livia, i was going to post some info too

[SharkAttack]

Originally Posted by kizzy

Happy oestara livia, i was going to post some info too

So we're having rabbit stew for dinner tonight, Kizzy?

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by SharkAttack

So we're having rabbit stew for dinner tonight, Kizzy?

I think its meant to be a hare...but yeah ok......

[SharkAttack]

Originally Posted by kizzy

I think its meant to be a hare...but yeah ok......

Hare!

[InOne]

Originally Posted by Livia

I'll tell ya something interesting about the Spring Equinox... It's the Pagan festival of Oestra, named after the fertility goddess Oestra. Her symbols are eggs (obviously, for a fertility goddess) and Hares - because of the spring. Christians liked to nick Pagan festivals and put their own festivals on them - it's a power thing. So Oestra became Easter, and eggs are given... and the hare became the Easter Bunny. Interesting, eh? Oh, and the female hormone oestrogen is named after Oestra.

That's interesting, always thought Easter was of Pagan origin. Christmas borrows a few things from Paganism too I think.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by InOne

That's interesting, always thought Easter was of Pagan origin. Christmas borrows a few things from Paganism too I think.

Christians plonked their festivals on Pagan festivals deliberately. Christmas was placed on Yule even though Jesus was probably born in the summer, All Souls/All Saints replaced Samhain or Halloween, Imbolc, which is the Pagans' end of winter festival, was replaced by St Brigid, Lady Day or Candlemass... all Christian stuff. Christians also had a habit of building churches on sacred places. The church of St Mary Magdalene where I was born was built in 1130 on top of a Saxon church, which was built on a Roman temple, which was built on an Ancient British sacred site. Proper interesting stuff...

[InOne]

Originally Posted by Livia

Christians plonked their festivals on Pagan festivals deliberately. Christmas was placed on Yule even though Jesus was probably born in the summer, All Souls/All Saints replaced Samhain or Halloween, Imbolc, which is the Pagans' end of winter festival, was replaced by St Brigid, Lady Day or Candlemass... all Christian stuff. Christians also had a habit of building churches on sacred places. The church of St Mary Magdalene where I was born was built in 1130 on top of a Saxon church, which was built on a Roman temple, which was built on an Ancient British sacred site. Proper interesting stuff...

Ahhh didn't know all that, I guess that's the tyranny of the Church for you. It's a shame that our Pagan roots have basically been fogotten for Foreign religions and for some reason people think Christianity is British. I've been to a few stone circles and that down south, they're always interesting, and the people down there are usually ones to keep Pagan traditions alive. Although people have told me it's become sort of a trendy thing and those people are generally annoying lol

[Livia]

Originally Posted by InOne

Ahhh didn't know all that, I guess that's the tyranny of the Church for you. It's a shame that our Pagan roots have basically been fogotten for Foreign religions and for some reason people think Christianity is British. I've been to a few stone circles and that down south, they're always interesting, and the people down there are usually ones to keep Pagan traditions alive. Although people have told me it's become sort of a trendy thing and those people are generally annoying lol

I think the people interested in Paganism and finding out about the country's religious roots are very different from the annoying "New Age" followers . The whole Pagan/Druid thing is fascinating though, the way their rituals and way of life followed the turn of the seasons and, of course, the way they were demonised and persecuted by Christians.

[Marc]

Which the days were a little bit more warmer..

[Kate!]

It's nice and sunny here today, sky's a gorgeous blue. Best day so far, hope it continues.

[Marc]

Today was what some people would call, glorious

[King Gizzard]

Equinox is my new favourite word

[Kizzy]

Time for a new moon then?...death to winter

[King Gizzard]

Gonna miss winter warm weather is the worst