By Blair Doucette

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March 20, 2025

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The spring (or “vernal”) equinox marks one of two times a year when the Earth’s axis is tilted in a direction so that our daylight hours equal our night hours. In fact, the word “equinox” is Latin, meaning “equal night.” This means that after today, our nights will be getting shorter, and our days will be getting longer. This equinox marks the transition from winter to spring, even if it’s seemed a little springy out since the beginning of March. Before modern technology, our survival was integrally related to the sun and its warmth. We wouldn’t be able to grow food to eat, complete our work, or even survive if our hemisphere didn’t rotate its way back toward the sun. Because of this, many pre-modern cultures marked and celebrated the return of the sun. 

 

Spring Equinox of Past:

• The Celts marked the spring equinox with rituals and celebrations involving bonfires, meant to symbolize warmth, vitality, and purity. As an agrarian culture, the return of the sun was very important to them. 
• Holi is a Hindu festival of colors that has been celebrating the arrival of spring since about the 4th century CE. To celebrate, people throw brightly colored powders, called gulal, up into the air and at each other while dancing and feasting. 
• Ango-Saxons marked the spring equinox by celebrating the goddess Ēostre. She was associated with spring, dawn, fertility, and rebirth and is most likely where we get the word Easter. 
• Since about 2700 BCE, Egyptians have celebrated the spring equinox with a festival called Sham el-Nessim. It was a time where they would offer salted fish and other foods to their gods, hoping to ensure a good crop season. Sham el-Nessim is still celebrated to this day and is one of the few holidays that is celebrated by the whole country, as it predates both Christianity and Islam.

 

Spring Equinox in Natural Medicine:

Energetically, this time of year aligns more with New Year’s resolutions than January. So don’t worry if some resolutions have slipped through the cracks. The sun is now on your side! Naturopathic medicine draws much of its wisdom from observing the natural world, so we believe this time of year is important for experiencing renewal. With more sunlight to go around, our bodies may even feel a little more invigorated and lively. Like new baby plants that have to push their way through the cold earth, spring’s energy is powerful. New growth on spring trees is both extremely strong and extremely flexible. This is how we should leave winter and enter spring. And after a long winter of heavy foods, we need to help support our bodies’ detox pathways to help them work more efficiently this spring. This means supporting our livers with bright and fresh spring greens and lots of fresh herbs. 

 

Spring Nutrition: Bitter Nourishing Foods 

As soon as our tongue tastes food that is even mildly bitter, this sends a direct message to our stomach and pancreas to begin making digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes such as amylase, lactase, and lipase, help us break down macromolecules (proteins, fats, and carbs) into small, more digestible pieces before they move into our lower digestive tract. Digestive enzymes are essential for good digestion.

Bitter Foods To Enjoy for Spring:

• Dandelion greens
• Burdock root
• Chicory
• Kale
• Green tea
• Chamomile tea
• Radishes 
• Watercress

 

Combat Allergies Naturally:

Seasonal allergies are one of the more common frustrations we hear about from our patients this time of year. Luckily, there are many things we can do to support our body’s histamine clearance. One simple thing to add to our daily routine is to drink nettle tea. Nettles work in part by blocking histamine receptors as well as lowering inflammation in general.  Try this overnight Nettle Infusion out for yourself! Note: using nettles is just a small portion of many techniques for allergy support. They typically need to be used for over a month before benefits are noticed. 

Recipe: Overnight Nettle Infusion

Take a 1-pint mason jar and add 4 tablespoons of dried nettle leaves. Cover with room temperature filtered water and fill to the brim of the jar. Seal with a tight-fitting lid and give it a good shake. Let sit overnight to infuse. In the morning, strain out the nettle and sip throughout the day for allergy support. Add a squeeze of lemon or a bit of honey to taste.

 

Spring Morning Routine

After daylight savings time, try to awaken and get out of bed at the same time each day. This consistency will help to align your body to the time change. It will also support your circadian rhythm throughout the day and night, supporting your sleep quality. Ideally, wake just before sunrise and enjoy the morning sunlight on your face and skin. 

 

Want more tips for Spring? Check out some of our other recent blogs:

 

• Allergies, Again?
• Herb of the Month: Violet!
• Pros and Cons of Fasting

 

Works Cited

“Sham El-Nessim: A Guide to the Egyptian Spring Festival.” Middle East Eye, www.middleeasteye.net/discover/what-sham-el-nessim-egypt-spring-festival-explained.

‌Equinox, Spring. “An Darach Forest Therapy.” An Darach Forest Therapy, 20 Mar. 2024, silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/spring-equinox-celts-picts.

“Holi : A Joyful and Colorful Festival, HoliFestival.org.” Holifestival.org, 2019, www.holifestival.org/.

‌“Celebrate the Spring Equinox and Ostara.” Www.cantonpl.org, www.cantonpl.org/blogs/post/celebrate-the-spring-equinox-and-ostara/.

 

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