| Ostara March 21st |
| Ostara, or the Spring Equinox (sometimes spelled Ostera or Eostre, and also called Alban Eiber, Bacchanalia, Lady Day and Jack in the Green Day, in various parts of the world), is celebrated on March 21st. In ancient Britain, the Pagans did not celebrate the Equinoxes s modern Pagans today do, so Ostara is a newcomer to Pagan practices, probably added by people like Margret Murray, Gerald Gardner and modern Druids, but today its celebrated just like an other festival.. At this time of the year, the trees and starting to sprout leaves, the birds are preparing nests, the animals are coming out into the cool spring air, and the tender young flowers are peeking their heads out from the warming soil. The air still has a slight chill, but the sun stay out a bit longer each day. This is the time when night and day are equal length. The names Ostara is derived from the Saxon Goddess Oestara, a goddess of fertility and rebirth. At this time, light and dark are at balance, but light will soon prevail. Spring is beginning, so it is also a time of fertility--the Goddess is in the maiden form and the God is a young man who will eventually unite at the next sabbat, Beltane. Rabbits and eggs are a symbol of this time, as well as spring flowers like daffodils. This is a good time to bless seeds and prepare for a summer garden. We also start to prepare for expansion and new beginnings in our lives.We should start to rid ourselves of old routines and look to the future for positive changes--stop dwelling on the past and present and open our eyes to the opportunities in our future Ostara should be a joyous time--there are new beginning and the added warmth to our days is refreshing after long months of snow and cold weather. Symbols of Ostara Eggs - Seeing that Ostara is a fertility festival, and the time when animals are giving birth, the egg would be an obvious symbol for this time. But is there any other reasons the egg is a symbol? Sure... for example, the hen lays eggs when the reteia of her eye is stimulated for a period of 12 or more hours. In the spring, the sun will be out long enough to do this. At this time life was emerging, as well as a supply of eggs, which made eggs a natural symbol of new life. In the Ukraine, women would dye eggs in reds, yellows and oranges and then eat them to celebrate the rebirth of the sun and the coming warm months. In fact, the Ukranian people refused to give up their egg symbols when Christianity became popular, so the church accepted this tradition and called them Easter eggs*. In Italy eggs were used in bread to sumbolize rebirth. In Asia red eggs are offered at funerals to symbolize new life and the turning seasons. In German and Scandinavian lands, offering Eggs to the Goddess was a common practice, that is, before the rise of Christianity. I've heard that the practice of hunting for eggs comes from these Germanic people because they had to hide the eggs if they wanted to give them to the goddess, so that the Church couldnt find out what they were doing *. In the saxon lands, they burried eggs in the garden and fields to make them Fertile*. Also, the yellow yolk of the egg represents the Sun-God and the white symbolizes the Goddess. At Ostara, you can buy a carton of eggs and dye them just like you did at Easter when you were little. You can buy the dyes at the store, or make your own if you happen to have the right materials. Here are some natural dyes*: Carrot tops : Yellow Vanilla Extract : yellow orange Dandelions : Orange Onions : Orange Heather : Pink Blackberries : Red Violet Red Cabbage : Robin's Egg Blue Blueberries : Blue Beets : Blue Violet Cayenne : Rust You can also use wood, plastic or foam eggs if you dont want to decorate real ones, just dress them up a bit and paint symbols on them. Robins - The Robin is a symbol because at this time, the robin starts to emerge and when you see one, its sign that spring is on its way. They also lay eggs in the spring, and eggs are a fertility and Ostara symbol. Rabbits - Rabbits are another popular symbol for Ostara. The Hare is a Goddess symbol and in European folklore the Goddess could transform herslef into a hare. The hare is a feisty little animal that gives birth to quite rapidly each spring. The rabbit is an obvious spring/fertility symbol. Lambs and Goats - Goat are seen as "randey" creatures with much vigor. They are a symbol of the God who is a young man at this time. They have horns (which are a phallic symbol) and is a symbol of the God also. The lamb is born around this time, so its a symbol of life at spring. The lamb is also the symbol of the young spring maiden, the Goddess. Milk and diary foods are a symbol of this time and since goats give milk that was used a lot in past times, diary products were seen as a symbol of spring. Sun symbols - Since this is the time when the sun will overcome the darkness of winter, sun signs are a symbol for this time. It is a symbol of re-birth and the warming of the earth, as well as a symbol for the God. Flowers - Flowers like Daffodils, Primroses and Crocuses are a symbol of spring as they start to sprout now and symbolize new life. In Rome, they had a festival in honor of the goddess Flora which was celebrated around this time and in Welsh traditions, the Goddess Blodeuwedd, is the flower Goddess of earths revival, and honored especially at spring. Seeds and Gardens - In spring, we start to think about new life, so seeds and plants are a symbol of this time in the year. New plants and flowers are blooming, and the trees are starting to sprout new leaves. If you have seeds that you want to plant for the summer, then now is a good time to start planting them. In most parts of the world, its too cold to plant them outdoors, so its a good idea to start them indoors. As they are growing, help them along by chanting helpful supportive chants and making sure they have plenty of sun, so plant them near a window. Activities Paint eggs. Like I said above, painting eggs are a great way to decorate and celebrate spring. Bless seeds. If you have any seeds you want to plant, this is a good time to bless then and then plant them. Place flowers on you altar. Get in touch with nature. Since this time is a time of new beginings and rebirth, take walks outside and take time to think about your future and what you want to manifest in the coming months. Do a house cleansing. This is a great time to bless both your house, and yourself. I usually do a house blessing at Imbolc, but I dont see why you can't do one at Ostara, or at any other time of the year. What I do is take a rose quartz for each wondow of the house (actually I only do this for my bedroom, if I place stones at the other windows, I know they will get knocked off or played with by my cats, lol!). I also get a sage smudge stick and a smudge bowl (or any ind of heat proof bowl, a sea shell is good) and go to each window and door and draw a protective symbol, like a pentagram, with the smoke from the smudge stick and imagine all negative energy going away. When your done with this, you can ask the God and Goddess to bless the house and everyone who dwells inside. Incense Some herbs you can use for Ostara Rituals are as follows: lily of the valley lavendar thyme marjoram lovage lemon balm oakmoss apple pear sunflower seeds rose hips willow crocus clover violets broom vervain any combination of the following for incense to the Goddess... Clover Vervain Hibiscus Lemon Verbina Jasmine Myrtle Daffodile Rosemary For the God... Cinnamon Bay Allspice Oak leaf Cedar Clove Poppy Seed Ginger The Altar Here is a list of some things you can put on your altar for Ostara: An altar cloth in pastle colors, like pinks, light yellow, light greens, purples and light blues are a good choice. Spring Flowers, real or fake Statues of rabbits, lambs, suns, and/or birds. Pastle colored candles Seeds or plants to bless Candle holders with a spring theme Dyed or painted eggs in a basket Some Goddesses of Spring: Blodewedd - Welsh Goddess of flowers and spring. Eostre - Germanic Goddess of spring and fertility. The name "Ostara" is dervied from this goddess. Flora - Roman Goddess of flowers whose festival was celebrated between Ostara and Beltane. Persephone - Roman Goddess who returns to the Earth from the Underworld in spring and brings life back to the Earth. Maia - Greek Goddess of spring, childbirth and flowers. Renpet - Egyptian Goddess of spring. Some Gods of Spring: Cernunnos - Celtic God of the forests, animals and hunting. He is the Earth Goddesses consort and mates with her to bring life back to the earth. The Green Man - European/ North American god of the forest, trees and greenery. A fertility symbol. Marduk - Babylonian god of vegitation, and the spring sun. Pan - Greek, horned God of nature, the forest and animals. Tammuz - Babylonian-Phonencian God of vegitation and the harvest. Volos - Slavic God of animals and protector of sheep and cattle. For more information of Ostara "Ostara" by Edain McCoy "Celebrate the Earth" by Laurie Cabot and John Mills "Wheel of the Year" by Pauline and Dan Campanelli "In the Circle" by Elen Hawke * Ostara by Edain McCoy |
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