(Spring/Vernal Equinox) Also known as Eostre.
Northern Hemisphere Date: March (20-23)
Southern Hemisphere Date: Sept 20-23
The Equinoxes are the balancing points in the cycle of the seasons, when the day and night are of equal length, reminding us of the harmony of the whole. Buds of flowers and leaf, all manner of eggs and just-born life are celebrated in decorations and imagery as Pagans rejoice in the Earth’s reawakening. The urge of spring is to do, create and bring in the new. Here light overcomes darkness with lengthening days bringing the magic of new growth.
Ostara is associated with childhood and new life, and the God and Goddess are perceived as children, personifying youth and innocence before their entry into adulthood. The Goddess, as the Maiden, covers the earth with flowers and love while the God grows to maturity. This is a time to honour the masculine!
The Pagan history of Easter
Correspondences
Division: Minor Sabbat
Other Names: Spring Equinox, Eostre, Vernal Equinox, Alban Eiber, Bacchanalia, Lady Day
Southern Hemisphere Date: Sept 20-23
Northern Hemisphere Date: March 21
Associated Holiday: Easter
Associated Deities: Eostre, Spring Maiden, Spring Lord, Ishtar, Astarte
Associated Herbs: Jasmine, rose, violet
Associated Stones: Jasper, Moss agate, green moonstone, orange calcite, rose quartz.
Symbols of Ostara: Eggs, Hare, the New Moon, butterflies and cocoons.
Foods of Ostara: Leafy green vegetables, Dairy foods, Nuts such as Pumpkin, Sunflower and Pine. Flower Dishes and Sprouts.
Drinks of Ostara: Lemonade, Egg-Nog, and drinks made from seasonal fruits and berries.
Incense of Ostara: Jasmine, Rose, Strawberry, Floral of any type.
Ritual Oils: Lotus, Magnolia, Ginger
Colors: of Ostara: lemon yellow, pale green and pale pink.
Taboos: None
Plants: Crocus, Daffodil, Jasmine, Irish Moss, Snowdrop, Ginger
Element: Air
Activities: Dyeing Eggs, Looking for Spring Growth
Animals: Rabbits, Cougar, Sea Crow, Sea Eagle, Hedgehog, and Boar.
Mythical Creatures: Merfolk and any other Air or Water beings.
Celebration of: The God and Goddess begin their courtship.
About Ostara
Ostara is a Lesser Sabbat and marks the Spring Equinox, when day and night balance. Called Ostara after the Saxon Goddess Eostre, this is a time of renewal, regeneration and resurrection. Not much is known about this Eostre, except that she was the Goddess of fertility and was celebrated at the Spring Equinox, she was also connected with hares and eggs.
Legend has it that the Goddess Eostre turned a colourful bird into a rabbit and the rabbit then laid coloured eggs, this is where the Easter bunny and egg hunts came from and the basis of the Christian festival Easter.
The Anglo-Saxon lunar month April, was called Eastermonath. The equinox is a time both of fertility and new life, and of balance and harmony. Light and dark are here in balance, but the light is growing stronger. Now is the time to balance ourselves and the subtle energies within us, such as our chakras, the inner masculine and feminine qualities, the light and dark aspects, and so on.
This is a time that witches cast spells for careers, relationships, and love. It’s a time for planting new ideas and a time to free yourself from anything in the past that is holding you back.
You can acknowledge and celebrate this Sabbat by going into nature, taking a walk or spending time in your garden, also to recognise the changes in the Earth as she awakens each day.
Ostara Activities
* Have a traditional breakfast of buns, ham, and eggs.
* Wear green clothing.
* Bless seeds planted in the garden.
* Place a lit green candle in a dish full of moist earth, let it burn down and then bury the remainders (except the dish)
* Plant some seeds in pots or in your garden
* Dye or paint eggs with pagan symbols and God/Goddess signs.
* Make hot cross buns to honour the union of the earth and the sun for Spring. Slash the “X” and bless the cakes.
* Participate in an Easter egg hunt put on by your community.
* Take a long walk and take in the beauty of nature reawakening all around you.
* Meditate and/or Private Ritual.
* Create bird feeders.
* Make hot cross buns to honor the union of the earth and the sun for Spring. Slash the “X” and bless the cakes.
* Make pysanky and krashanky, magical amulets of fertility, protection, and prosperity.
* Eat an egg you have empowered with a quality you desire.
* This is a good time to cast spells for, careers, relationships, and love