March 20, 2011: The Vernal Equinox

And it's Spring!

Did you know that Native Americans had different names for each full moon of the year?  March 19 was the Worm Moon.  (Isn't that great??)  We celebrated by going for a moonlit walk and eating gummy worms.  We also played a game called Squiggly Worms that was more fun than we expected.

Spring came indoors, too.  We replaced the white and wintry elements of our nature tray with green leaves, pastel flowers, and an image of Paris from Moncia Wellington's Crepes by Suzette, a favorite book.

And we wistfully wrapped Our Lady of the Snows and hung the flowery Queen of the Universe in her place.



And of course, we had food and books.  We feasted on our customary "equinox cookies" -- large black and white cookies from the bakery.

We also enjoyed reading In This Night by Irmgard Lucht, a lyrical way to end the day and begin a new season.

And it's Spring.



The Holiday Shelf: The Vernal Equinox

In This Night
by Irmgard Lucht

Night meets day in the early morning.  Chill and shadows still hold the land.  But already the sky belongs to the light and its game of ever-changing colors.  The clouds start to shine as though the light pours from inside them -- dawn is very near.