Wednesday March 20th marks Ostara 2024. Here’s a little history of the holiday and ideas of how you can celebrate.
What is Ostara?
Spring Equinox takes place between 19th and 21st March each year, and during this time Ostara is celebrated - the day and date varies annually. Ostara marks the beginning of spring in the Northern hemisphere, where the light we rekindled at Yule comes back into balance with the darkness – there is no better time to plant seeds for the year, be that literally or metaphorically! It’s also a pagan celebration of Eostre, the German goddess of the dawn, and a celebration of life, birth, rebirth, fertility, growth and abundance.
Ostara symbolism
Spring is a time for rebirth and new life, for cleansing and refreshing. It’s a time for setting plans in motion for the rest of the year.
Eostre is a fertility goddess, and Ostara is full of fertile energy – be that new buds and growth of plants, or the growth of new ideas.
It’s not a surprise then to learn some common symbols of Ostara:
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Eggs – symbols of new life as birds start laying in the spring, eggs denote fertility and luck, new beginnings and the cycle of life.
Seeds – another symbol of new beginnings, growth and new life, now is the time to plant seeds and let our intentions grow and bloom with them.
Flowers – this is the season when new growth bursts into bloom, and spring flowers such as daffodils, crocus, tulips, snowdrops, clover, primrose and blossom are symbolic of Ostara.
Rabbits – rabbits and hares are famous for reproducing! Hares are sacred to several fertility goddesses, including Aphrodite and Freya, and are believed to be messengers between the living and the dead. They are also seen to symbolise the moon, another goddess connection.
Butterflies – this is the time of year when butterflies transform from caterpillars, a symbol of the cycle of life and rebirth, and so of Ostara.
Food – eggs, seeds, spring greens, hot cross buns, bread and honey.
Colours - green, yellow, lavender and pink.
Crystals - use aquamarine, peridot, amethyst, moss agate, rose quartz or sunstone on your Ostara altar to honour nature, fertility and the return of the sun.
How you can celebrate Ostara
There are many ways to celebrate this festival – here are just a few ideas!
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Now is the perfect time to have a spring clean of your spaces – from your home to your laptop – declutter and freshen up with the new season, make a bright new start!
Start something completely new – perhaps a new hobby or craft, learning a new language, or doing that project you’ve been putting off.
Set into motion the plans you made earlier in the year, so you can go on to harvest the fruits of your labour later in the year. This could be something to do with business, a hobby, or a literal planting of seeds or vegetables in your garden.
Go for a walk amongst nature and take the time out to appreciate the new season and all of the new plant growth and animal activity. Give thanks for the new year and new life, and enjoy the dark days of winter coming to an end.
Decorate an altar in Ostara colours, using spring flowers, crystals and candles. You could add art or ornaments of eggs, birds, nests or rabbits.
Dye, paint or decorate hard-boiled or blown eggs as a fun Ostara craft to produce beautiful ornaments.
Prepare an Ostara feast to share with your loved ones – try and use local produce, spring greens, and of course eggs!
Bake some hot cross buns – these traditional Ostara cakes would be marked with crosses or sun wheels symbolising the balance of light and dark, heaven and earth as the sun returns at the Spring Equinox.
However you celebrate, we hope you have a smashing spring and a wonderful Ostara!
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