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Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

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    Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

    Is there a thread on this topic already and maybe I've missed it? What pagan festivals coincide with Easter and how do you celebrate it?

    For me, Easter has always been about a new beginnings, shedding old skin and celebrating new life, transformation and second chances. I've never really thought how I personally would like to celebrate Easter. I have normally just gone to a church service or spent time away on a holiday at the coast with family. This year, I'd like to put some thought into it.

    How about you?

    Happy Easter all!

    #2
    Re: Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

    Do you mean point in time, or related in theme?

    Marzanna is a Polish pagan festival, celebrating the end of winter. The event is referred to as "The Drowning of Marzanna", who symbolizes winter and death. They make a wickerwoman. Attached to her is all the negativity of winter. She is set alight, and spring is beckoned, then to see off winter she is cast into a lake or river. With my Polish ancestry, this is something I intend to do, as a similar concept, but less mythic, than the wickerman, a festival about which we know basically nothing, and occurs a month later. This occurs in similar countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
    I'm not one to ever pray for mercy
    Or to wish on pennies in the fountain or the shrine
    But that day you know I left my money
    And I thought of you only
    All that copper glowing fine

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      #3
      Re: Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

      Originally posted by Briton View Post
      Do you mean point in time, or related in theme?
      Point in time.
      Originally posted by Briton View Post
      Marzanna is a Polish pagan festival, celebrating the end of winter. The event is referred to as "The Drowning of Marzanna", who symbolizes winter and death. They make a wickerwoman. Attached to her is all the negativity of winter. She is set alight, and spring is beckoned, then to see off winter she is cast into a lake or river. With my Polish ancestry, this is something I intend to do, as a similar concept, but less mythic, than the wickerman, a festival about which we know basically nothing, and occurs a month later. This occurs in similar countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
      Thank you. I honestly had forgotten that the Northen Hemisphere is shifting into Spring this time of year. Of course that would be the theme of any earth based faith's festival.

      I'm still considering how to incorporate an earth based awareness into my practise this year. We're supposed to be heading into Autumn now but we're still experiencing summer weather. I've been working on preparing soil for my garden so maybe I'll try to find an appropriate seed to plant. Maybe it can symbolise a character trait I'd like to adopt or develop further.

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        #4
        Re: Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

        In the Southern hemisphere this would be the fall Equinox and our May day celebration would be very close to to the day that one would celebrate Samhain or Ancestor's eve in the Southern hemisphere. I have often wondered how different if would be to live where the months I am used to being Summer would be Winter.
        The Dragon sees infinity and those it touches are forced to feel the reality of it.
        I am his student and his partner. He is my guide and an ominous friend.

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          #5
          Re: Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

          The Liberalia and the Athenian Dionysia, both celebrations regarding Bacchus, typically occurred in the mid-March to early-April timeframe. And both somewhat relate to Spring as Dionysos is a god of growth and floration.

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            #6
            Re: Pagan festivals that coincide with Easter?

            Since my daughter is born on Ostara, we do Floralia at Easter--a celebration of Flora and Faunus and spring things.
            Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
            sigpic

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              #7
              śivāya vishnu rūpaya śivaḥ rūpaya vishnave
              śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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                #8
                (source)

                I don't know how much of this is something that was related to Christian Easter as a festival (watching the sun rise does have certain Christian connotations, I assume) or is it based on an older Spring festival but at least for me that interesting nevertheless.
                baah.

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