Charlie’s Corner is the domain of Charlie, the furry four-legged lady’s man of Market Common. Each month, he’ll share information to help all new, visiting, and existing doggie community members get the most out of life along side their human companions. Here, we’ll feature his reflections on what it’s like to be a dashing downtown doggie, as he reminds all of us how to play well together.
This month, Charlie digs into spring, proverbially, of course. He respects the hard work of the Market Common’s landscapers. He would never mess up their flower plots by physically digging.
“Spring is here again. And what better way to welcome it than with a ritual. or centuries rituals have been an important part of cultures across the globe, marking the passage of time and the cycles of the seasons in ways that are meaningful and joyful. These are cycles that we’re all a part of simply by being alive. How neat! That means that anyone can partake of them.
In ancient times, because groups were localized largely in one place, rituals became imbued with meaning that was characteristic of the landscape, climate, customs, and beliefs of the people (and I hope animals) of that place. But with today’s modern global world, we have access and exposure to all cultures and beliefs. Which means that not only can anyone partake of them, but we can even partake of ones that aren’t indigenous to our culture or geographical area. How’s that for wonderful and beautiful?
The one that most speaks to me this year is egg coloring. Here’s why: it’s an art project that involves food and I, for one, really appreciate food as well as bright colors, even though I’m not entirely sure that I eat eggs. But still, it’s the idea that counts, and that’s the key to ritual anyhow– it’s powerful because of the meaning that you ascribe to it; it’s the beauty that it represents, and what you are celebrating.
Coloring eggs around Easter time isn’t just a Christian tradition, although many people think it is. Eggs have been a symbol of rebirth and new life since the dawn of time it seems, (if we are to believe archaeology at any rate). So rituals incorporating them at spring, the season of rebirth and new life, are to be expected. In ancient times, rather than dying eggs, people used to paint them. Archaeologists have unearthed remains of painted ostrich eggs from Mesopotamia, and reaching as far back as pre-history, when there were Neanderthals, and people didn’t have fire or indoor plumbing.
Painting eggs was a common way for the people of what is today modern Russia and other Slavic countries to celebrate spring, centuries before Jesus’ birth. The custom still continues to this day. Christians adopted it too because for them it became associated with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And so, just like the internet connects us all, these symbols of the seasons, of what’s happening on our planet, connect us all, no matter our beliefs.
Until next time,
P.S. Follow me on Facebook to keep up with all my latest news, www.facebook.com/InsiderCharliesCorner and on Instagram @charlieparkerscorner.
Read more of Charlie’s sage advice, reflections on life, and ruminations here.
