Floralia Hunt

This ritual blends the traditional egg hunt with a ceremony to honor Flora, the Roman goddess of flower. Essential elements for this ritual are baskets with handles (one for each guest), egg-shaped chocolates and sweets, or small hollow plastic eggs filled with blessings written on paper slips, and a vase. Ask each guest to bring a large dish of food for sharing, and to dress in light, flowing spring clothes and colors. Each guest must also bring a flower to represent a wish they have for a new project or endeavor they intend to embark on this year. This flower will be used to make an offering to Flora so that she may bless the project as it grows and develops. This flower can be chosen from the Language of Flowers list in the appendix on page 325. By carefully deciding on a certain type of flower, your guests can enhance the power of their spring wish.

Prepare for this ritual by deciding whether you will hold it inside or risk the whimsical weather of April outdoors. Consult your local weather channel, consult an almanac, and cross your fingers. If you choose to hold it outdoors, then scout out the area well to identify potential problem spots (low-lying areas that might be muddy, for example, or high-traffic areas where strangers might interfere, or even join in). Also mark off a perimeter to limit your hunt. Place sticks in the ground with bright ribbons tied to them to mark that perimeter, so that your guests know not to bother searching past that point. If you choose to hold the ritual inside, decide which rooms will be off-limits for your hunt.

Once you have your area set, take some time to write out various blessings and good wishes on slips of paper. Blessings might include, “Joy and happiness with every dawn,” “May your love only increase,” or “Wealth and abundance are yours.” Tuck one blessing in each plastic egg, then gather all the eggs and blessings together and ask for Flora’s benison upon them:

Flower queen,

Princess of the spring,

Lovely Maiden of garden and field,

Bless these tokens and fill them with your goodwill. 

May those who receive them feel your love and bright beauty.

Take your goodies and blessings and hide them in the space you have chosen. Be cunning, but don’t make them too hard to find. When your guests arrive, choose someone to stand in the north, the east, the south, and the west, then cast the circle. Turn to the east. The speaker for the east should say:

Sacred breezes of the east,

Bring us the gentle scent of Flora’s blossoms. 

Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.

Turn to the south. The speaker for the south should say:

Sacred breezes of the south,

Bless us with the vibrant color of Flora’s blooms. 

Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.

Turn to the west. The speaker for the west should say: 

Sacred breezes of the west,

Bless us with the beauty of Flora’s crop. 

Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.

Turn finally to the north, where the speaker for the north should say: 

Sacred breezes of the north,

Bless us with the abundance of Flora’s bounty. 

Flora, queen of spring, we welcome you.

Ask your guests to come up one by one, state a wish to Flora, and place their single flower in the vase. When everyone has made a spring wish, there will be a beautiful bouquet created for Flora.

Now hand your guests a basket each, and tell them to further seek Flora’s blessings in the form of eggs, the symbol of fertility and new life. Laugh with your guests as they hunt high and low. Help the younger ones, or the ones who seem to be having difficulty finding any. Your guests should remember that this is not a traditional Easter egg hunt; the object is not to return with the largest collection of eggs. Instead, they are seeking Flora’s blessings.

When everyone returns, have a spring picnic or buffet of potluck dishes, and whatever treats were hidden. Your guests may choose to share the written blessings they found aloud, or keep them secret. Enjoy the spring air, and remember that Flora has blessed your new projects.