Here are some views on this time of year gleaned from readings, learnings, and experiences.....
Indigenous cultures celebrate nature, including sky and atmospheric events. Many of these cultures have existed for thousands of years, and until today.
An auspicious time is spring, including the spring equinox, which means a day and night of equal length. Started in the Middle East and East Asia, there is an important equinox celebration: Nowruz, meaning new day, new year, celebrating spring and new life. See the web for the Houston, Texas Asian Association Nowruz Celebration (organized by the local Zoroastrian group).
The Hebrew calendar's first month is in spring: Nisan (pronounced: neesahn). It includes Passover, a time of moving from a constricted, narrow place toward freedom and new life, the birth of a new nation. Among the symbolic foods are eggs, new life, and also maror (pronounced: mahroar), bitter herbs, with a particular meaning for Passover and which are generally eaten in spring to awaken body functions.
This year, Ramadan is close to Easter and Passover....because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon and has no leap day or leap month. (the Hebrew calendar has a leap moon month). The time of Ramadan moves throughout the year. Islam has a ritual of circling the Ka'aba at Ramadan. The Ka'aba contains a large stone which was important in pre-Islamic times, and had a goddess called Al-Ilat (Al-eelat) or maybe Allah...
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