Mar 16, 20236 min read

Exploring Ostara

Updated: Oct 5, 2023

The Spring Equinox is here and it's time to celebrate all that life, birth, and rejuvenation have to offer us! Below, I will cover:

A Brief Summary
History & Background
Celebrating
Resources & Further Reading

Let's begin!

A Brief Summary

Names: Ostara, the Spring Equinox

Date(s): In the Northern Hemisphere, typically on a day between March 19-23. In the Southern Hemisphere, this day usually lands sometime between September 19-23.

Observances: Ostara is the Spring Equinox, and just as with the Autumnal Equinox, day and night are of about equal length. This brings some much needed balance and an observance of duality: chaos and order, light and dark, masculine and feminine. From this point forward, days will begin getting longer, overtaking the night, which marks the rebirth of the sun. On this day we acknowledge rebirth, new birth, abundance, and fertility.

History & Background

As already mentioned, Ostara is one of two equinoxes, meaning this is a day during which nighttime and daytime are of about equal length. This is reflected during Mabon--or the Autumnal/Fall Equinox--which is one of many similarities the two sabbats carry. Another similarity is that this is yet another sabbat that was named on the Wheel of the Year by Aidan Kelly in 1974.

Britain's Anglo-Saxons named the month of April after the Germanic goddess Eostre. Kelly was inspired by this when coming up for the name for the Spring Equinox. Probably unsurprisingly, "Eostre" is also where the name Easter was derived, but the name Easter is primarily used in countries where the current native language is Germanic in origin (such as English-speaking countries). However, in other countries that celebrate this Christian holiday but do not have a Germanic language, the various names for this holiday are not linked to Eostre at all. For example, in Greece the holiday of Easter is called "Lambros" which translates to "bright" or "shining".

In regards to the goddess Eostre, there is very little known about her, which is probably what has lead to the misinformation many of us have seen floating around about a goddess named Ostara. This supposed goddess Ostara seems to be entirely a product of folklorist Jacob Grimm as there is no historical evidence that the Ancient Pagans ever acknowledged this goddess. He also seemingly came to many assumptions and pondered many "what ifs" to come to this Ostara goddess theory.

Another similarity between Ostara and Mabon is the fact that neither of these sabbats were largely celebrated by Ancient Pagans in Europe. In fact, while the Spring Equinox is obviously a whole planetary and seasonal event, meaning it predates the Neo-Pagan movement in the modern era and even Christianity, as a sabbat the Spring Equinox didn't seem to be acknowledged as anything special by the Ancient Europeans at all.

However, the ancients in North and South America built several monuments that align with the Spring Equinox. Additionally, Angkor Wat, the Cambodian complex of temples (which has a remarkably fascinating history and many theories surrounding it, if you care to do a bit of further research), has alignments with the sun on the solstices and equinoxes, including the Spring Equinox.

These are just a few examples, and sadly don't provide too much information on how this day was celebrated, but these do stand as testaments to the fact that this day had meaning for and was honored by some ancient cultures.

As I'm sure many of you know, Easter is the Christian holiday on which they believe that Jesus was resurrected, three days after his crucifixion. Funnily enough, though, much of what is now associated with Easter--colorful eggs, bunnies, and baby chicks--have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus (and seem to be very Pagan). Eggs have held symbolic significance for various reasons across cultures for thousands of years. They're often associated with new life, fertility, cleansing, regeneration, rebirth, and renewal. Additionally, all of those associations are being reflected in the natural world around us and the pattern of behavior from plant and animal life during this season.

The decorating of eggs has held purpose in various cultures for centuries. However, the dyeing of eggs around the Spring Equinox specifically, seems to have started during the Middle Ages in Europe. Eggs were dyed as a means of encouraging the sun to get brighter--which sounds like witchcraft to me, but that's none of my business--then were eaten after Easter Sunday Mass to break the fast from Lent.

Another piece of misinformation that I often see floating around the internet with Springtime memes is that the Easter Bunny is derived from some sort of ancient Pagan idol. The Easter Bunny only dates back to the early 1600s, and different countries that also celebrate Easter have their own versions of an Easter character, many of which aren't rabbits--or even animals--at all. However, while the Easter Bunny isn't pulled from any specific mythological character, rabbits in general do hold their own special place in magick and Paganism. Several different goddess have rabbit companions (this witch does too, and he's a sweetie) and they also represent fertility and renewal.

The date of Easter, much like the sabbats, tends to shift around year-to-year. This is due to the fact that is takes place on the Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, and the Spring Equinox timing changes every year due to the mismatch between our calendar year and planetary and celestial body movements but I'm not science-minded enough to provide you with further explanation beyond that. While the Christians do have their reasoning behind this, which is related to the timing of the crucifixion of Jesus and the start of Passover, this does feel like a Pagan practice for dates to move with the celestial bodies that dictate them.

(Although, I really don't understand how the date of Jesus's crucifixion can be moved around each year. Seriously, I'm not trying to be snarky. I'm not a Christian and am very much confused by this and can't seem to find a thorough explanation. Christmas--the event of Jesus's birth--does not move relative to the timing of the Winter Solstice, so why does Easter--the event of Jesus's resurrection--change relative to the timing of the Spring Equinox?)

For my personal disclaimer regarding Christianity in the sabbats: While some Pagans prefer to keep all Christian-related things out of their practice, many of us are okay dealing with the overlap that exists, but that is an entirely personal choice. Things became so intermingled over time that not only is there no definitive line and no exact answer from historians, but there is a lot of meaning that resonates with Pagans no matter the true origin. In my practice, I simply take God out of it and I work with what's leftover that holds meaning for me.

As always, I am only providing a brief overview of the history of this sabbat. To learn more, check out the resources listed at the bottom of this article.

Celebrating

Here is a jumping-off point for forming your celebrations. Please keep in mind that these lists are here to help but they are not definitive! You should absolutely put your own spin on how to decorate and celebrate based on how this sabbat works into your life and spirituality.

Decorations

Colors: White and any pastels
Flora: Seeds, any Spring flowers, seedlings and saplings
Other: Eggs, rabbits & hares, symbols of balance, natural sunlight in your space, symbols of things you want to acknowledge you already have in abundance (as a show of gratitude and to continue that abundance) or symbols of what you would like in abundance

Activities

Get into nature and observe new life
Take action and begin the changes and projects that you planned at Imbolc
Start something new, even if you didn't begin planning at Imbolc
Plant your Spring garden
Have a spa, self-love, and/or relaxation day to rejuvenate your mind and body
Get some Spring cleaning done -- If you're getting rid of things, donate what you can!
Cook some egg-based dishes and enjoy fresh, Spring produce
Take a moment to reflect on the balance in your life and adjust accordingly -- Do you have a healthy work/life balance? How does the time you spend for yourself stack up against the time you spend on other people? Are you receiving and giving in relatively equal amounts?

Rituals, Spellwork, & Magick

Spellwork to assist your new "birth" - As Ostara is a great time to start new things, it never hurts to perform a little magick to boost them. Whether that is a communication spell for a new relationship, something to attract clients to a new business, an inspiration spell for an artistic endeavor, or a self-empowerment spell for a new fitness regimen. Even if you aren't starting something specific, you can always perform a general spell to invite in new opportunities, experiences, or people into your life.
Perform this Self-Love Candle Ritual
Perform a self-cleansing ritual and be sure to magickally cleanse your space after your mundane Spring cleaning
Uncrossing spells
Fertility spells
Intentions: Balance and duality, new birth, rebirth, abundance, fertility, cleansing, manifestation