Just as her symbols have disappeared, so has any record of Gaia's feast and ritual days. Therefore we can honor her on any day we choose. And what would be more appropriate than
EARTH DAY:
Ist day of Spring.
March Equanox..Natures primary day of global equilibrium.
The day dedicated to honouring the living earth is a good choice for a ritual aimed at calling down Gaia's abundance on her children. Participation in activities designed to draw attention to the potential dangers to Gaia's heath and safety would be an excellent contemporary substitue for lost rituals to ensure the planet's health.
The celebration of Earth Day in springtime also makes it appropriate for an invocation to Gaia, for many rath goddesses are honoured in that season. The Romans showered statues of their Great Mother, Cybele, with rose petals on April 3 and 4. Also in Rome, women gathered on May 1st to honor Fauna, goddess of fertility, in rituals celebrated by the vestal virgins.
But spring is not the anly time to ask for blessings from the abundant earth. Winter, too, has its own rituals of this sort. On December 1st, Roman women invoked Bona Dea, who was also called by names signifying abundance: Richessa, Abundia, and Satia. Ops, the goddess from whom we get our word opulent, was honored as part of the Saturnalia in late December, when the Lord of Misrule reigned and the populace celebrated in the most raucous way; other festivals to Ops, both celebrated at harvest time, were the Consualia on August 21 and the Opiconsivia on August 25. Finally, at the feast called Strena on January 1, Romans offered friends and neighbours fruits macerated in honey to wish each other a plentiful new year.
EARTH DAY
Festivals on the March Equinox go back to Stonehenge, Persia, the Mayans and early Chinese history. This is nature's day when Light and darkness (day and night) are of equal length worldwide. Earth Day is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and of Fall in the Southern Hemisphere. When the United Nations Peace Bell rings at the moment of equinox on Earth Day, it is Earth Day all over the world.
The symbolism of Earth Day..the equilibrium and balance of the equinox..encourages and inspires independence and cooperation. The simultaneous global event deepens our sense of unity. It fosters a sense of rights and responsibilities in the protection and care of Earth. From Earth Day has come a growing consensus that every individual and institution should act as Earth Trustees, seeking what can be done in ecology, economics and ethics to benefit people and planet. This will help us obtain a healthy, peaceful future and speed the day when bells will ring all over the world as we celebrate Earth Day, the Great Day of Earth.
To read the full report on......
The Real Earth Day
Earth Day is a singular date
By John McConnell
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