Have you ever wondered why we have seasons? Well, a long, long time ago, the world was always warm and sunny, a bit like a never-ending summer holiday! This was all thanks to a kind goddess named Ceres. Ceres was in charge of all the growing things: the tall green grass, the juicy red apples, the golden wheat for bread, and all the colorful flowers. She had a wonderful daughter named Proserpina, who loved to laugh and play in the meadows, picking daisies and chasing butterflies.

One sunny afternoon, while Proserpina was gathering a big bunch of wildflowers, the ground suddenly rumbled! A big crack appeared, and out popped Pluto, the king of the Underworld. The Underworld was a shadowy place deep beneath the earth, and Pluto was a bit lonely down there. He saw Proserpina, with her bright smile and flowers in her hair, and thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. So, very quickly, he gently scooped her up, chariot and all, and whisked her away down to his underground kingdom. Poof! They were gone.

When Ceres came to call Proserpina for dinner, she couldn't find her anywhere. She called her name, "Proserpina! Proserpina!" but only the wind answered. Ceres was heartbroken. Her lovely daughter was missing! She was so sad and worried that she forgot all about her job of making things grow. The flowers started to droop, the leaves on the trees turned brown and fell off, and no yummy fruits or vegetables grew in the fields. The world became cold and bare. People and animals started to get very hungry.

Ceres searched everywhere for Proserpina, day and night, but she couldn't find her. Finally, a little water nymph, who had seen everything, whispered to Ceres what had happened. Ceres was very, very upset and also a little bit angry. She went straight to Jupiter, the king of all the gods, and said, "Jupiter, you must help me! Pluto has taken my daughter, and I won't let anything grow until she is back!"

Jupiter saw how sad Ceres was, and he knew that if plants didn't grow, everyone would be in big trouble. So, he sent a message to Pluto. "Pluto," the message said, "you must let Proserpina go back to her mother. But there's one rule: she can only come back if she hasn't eaten any food in the Underworld."

Down in the Underworld, Proserpina missed her mother and the sunshine very much. She had been a bit hungry, and Pluto, trying to be kind, had offered her a shiny red fruit called a pomegranate. Proserpina had only eaten a few tiny seeds, just six of them.

When Jupiter's messenger arrived, Pluto had to agree. But then they found out about the pomegranate seeds! Because Proserpina had eaten those six little seeds, she couldn't stay with her mother all year round.

So, Jupiter made a new plan. For part of the year, Proserpina would live with her mother, Ceres, on Earth. And for the other part of the year, because of those six seeds, she would live with Pluto in the Underworld.

And that’s why we have seasons! When Proserpina comes back up to Earth to be with Ceres, her mother is so happy that she makes all the plants grow, flowers bloom, and the sun shine warmly. We call this spring and summer. But when it's time for Proserpina to go back down to the Underworld, Ceres becomes sad again. She misses her daughter, so the leaves fall, the air gets cold, and the world rests. We call this autumn and winter. And then, everyone waits happily for Proserpina to return, bringing the sunshine and flowers with her once more.

1333 Views