The Spring Equinox: The Moment Between Light And Dark
Symbolism of eggs, legumes and most importantly, Seeds during Spring Equinox
I have noticed a significant amount of following on my Substack, so I am writing to both loyal and new subscribers. Thank you for following! As many of you know, the Spring Equinox today marks the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in approximately equal day and night hours. The word "equinox" comes from its Latin derivative, where equi means "equal" and nox means "night." Spring Equinox was celebrated by ancient civilisations such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Persians for centuries, often associated with the rebirth of nature and fertility rituals. Even the date of Easter is determined by it, falling on the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Psychologically, it is also an indication of warmer weather, birds chirping, where flowers and trees come to life, blossoming. Having been ill for a week with a horrible viral infection and desperately looking forward to spending more time outside, I wanted to focus on some food symbolism, art, and anthropological references responding to the Equinox.
Across many cultures, specific ingredients and dishes emerge as markers of this transition from winter's dormancy to Spring's awakening. Eggs are among the most ubiquitous symbols of the Equinox, representing fertility, rebirth, and cosmic balance. In Persian Nowruz celebrations, which are about now, decorated eggs accompany the Haft-Sin table, embodying new beginnings. Similarly, in Eastern European traditions, intricately dyed eggs (such as Ukrainian pysanky) reflect the spiritual and agricultural rebirth of the season. Greenery and fresh herbs also play a significant role, signifying the resurgence of life. In Iran, sabzi (fresh herbs) are integral to Nowruz feasts, while in Italy, the arrival of wild greens like agretti or puntarelle marks a seasonal shift. The Japanese tradition of Haru no Nanakusa (Seven Herbs of Spring) highlights foraged greens believed to bring health and renewal.
Cereals and legumes, representing agricultural abundance, frequently appear in equinox-related feasts. The Mexican festival of Cempasúchil—though more associated with autumn—draws on indigenous agricultural cycles that honor maize's role in sustaining life. In Eastern and Southeastern Europe, grains feature prominently in ritual dishes such as koliva, a wheat-based dish with deep associations with fertility and remembrance. Sweet foods also hold symbolic weight. In the Mediterranean, honey-based confections like Turkish baklava or Greek galaktoboureko evoke the sweetness of renewal, while in China, glutinous rice cakes (tangyuan) align with equinox festivals, signifying unity and balance. Seeds are especially significant to the Spring Equinox as they represent both the end of one cycle and the beginning of another, encapsulating fertility, rebirth, dormancy, survival, and transformation themes. Anthropologically, seeds occupy a liminal space—they exist in a state of in-betweenness, neither fully alive nor entirely inert. They contain life but require the right conditions to sprout, embodying an inherent promise of transformation. Victor Turner's concept of liminality, which describes transitional states in rites of passage, is reflected like seeds. Like the Spring Equinox, a moment suspended between winter and full Spring, seeds represent the transition from dormancy to vitality.
This potentiality is echoed in various traditions. In Persian culture, the Nowruz festival, celebrating the new year on the Spring Equinox, features wheat or lentil sprouts (sabzeh), symbolising hope, renewal, and prosperity. The act of growing and later discarding the sprouts reflects cyclical rebirth. Similarly, Christianity uses the seed metaphor to express themes of faith and resurrection. The Bible's Parable of the Sower illustrates how different conditions affect a seed's growing ability, a metaphor for spiritual receptivity. In the Gospel of John, Jesus states, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit," emphasising the idea that sacrifice and renewal are intrinsically linked.
In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the bīja (seed) represents the origin of all things. The concept of the bīja mantra, such as "Om," refers to the cosmic sound as the seed of creation. The Bodhi tree, under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, grew from a seed, emphasizing the spiritual potential and growth metaphor. Likewise, West African cosmologies revere seeds as sacred, linking them to ancestral continuity. The baobab tree, often called the "tree of life," begins as a tiny seed but can grow for thousands of years, reinforcing the idea that seeds contain both the past and future.
Because seeds give rise to new life, they have long been associated with fertility, abundance, and the feminine principle. Many fertility deities are connected to seeds, grains, and agricultural cycles. In Greek mythology, the pomegranate seed plays a pivotal role in the story of Demeter and Persephone. The latter's consumption of six pomegranate seeds binds her to the underworld for part of the year, mirroring the dormancy of winter before the earth's rebirth in Spring. The Egyptian goddess Isis, often depicted with wheat, represents fertility and resurrection as she revives Osiris, much like a seed buried before it grows anew. The symbolism of seeds extends beyond agriculture into human reproduction and lineage. In various cultures, planting is metaphorically linked to pregnancy and birth. The expression "sowing the seeds" speaks to the generational passage of knowledge, memory, and identity. The Spring Equinox, a time of planting, reinforces seeds' dual meaning as physical and symbolic bearers of life.
Seeds also embody the paradox of life emerging from death. Many traditions recognize that a seed must fall, decay, or be buried before it can grow. This cycle is reflected in Christian resurrection symbolism, where a seed's burial mirrors Christ's death and rebirth. Likewise, Día de los Muertos in Mexico sees families planting marigold seeds, anticipating their blossoming as offerings to the dead. The Japanese cherry blossom, whose seeds scatter and die only to bloom again, symbolises impermanence and renewal. Beyond their biological function, seeds serve as archives of cultural memory. Seed-saving traditions among Indigenous communities and small-scale farmers highlight resistance to the homogenisation of agriculture and the erosion of biodiversity. Each seed carries generational knowledge—when to plant, how to cultivate, and which varieties to save for the next year. This embodied knowledge is a form of heritage preservation.
Contemporary ecological movements emphasise seed sovereignty as a political act. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, sometimes called the "Doomsday Vault," was established to safeguard the world's biodiversity in case of environmental collapse. In India, the Navdanya movement, led by Vandana Shiva, fights against corporate seed patents and promotes seed sovereignty, highlighting food as a fundamental human right. Similar efforts exist in Palestine, where heirloom seed preservation resists cultural and agricultural displacement. I highly recommend Vivien Sansour's Palestine Heirloom Seed Library if you haven't already checked it. I can go on and on about seeds. Still, I invite you to look at seeds as an object and a metaphor, encapsulating the fundamental paradox of existence—small yet powerful, dormant yet full of life, fragile yet enduring. What seeds are you planting this Spring? What are you ready to let go of? What cycle is coming to an end?
The Spring Equinox is more than a celestial event. It is an anthropological marker of renewal, balance, and transition. Its widespread celebration across cultures, from Nowruz and Nyepi to Maya temple alignments and Celtic Ostara, emphasises the universal human impulse to ritualise seasonal change. Through an anthropological lens, the Equinox embodies liminality, cosmological dualism, fertility rites, and temporal realignment, all of which shape human engagement with time, space, and community.