Rituals & Raiments

This Pagan holiday, celebrated on March 20-21 (on the day of the Spring Equinox), honors fertility and the coming warm weather & longer days. You’ll find many similarities to Easter, a Christian holiday. Today, we’ll be going through the long history, traditions, and some correspondences for Ostara.

The History

Many civilizations for tens of thousands of years have held celebrations for fertility and the Spring Equinox. Ostara is just one of many, many celebrations. Pre-dating Christianity, some traditions of Ostara can be traced be up to 60,000 years ago! Ostara itself is believed to originate from Germanic tradition and mythology. The name is believed to come from the goddess Eostre, who represented fertility, renewal, and the dawn.

How do we celebrate?

Ostara is a time for renewal and transitioning. It is also a time to celebrate fertility with the oncoming spring weather. Many like to enjoy nature walks and meditation, making sure to be mindful and observant as you go. Gardening, whether that’s the plants you planted before or starting new ones, is very popular as well. If you’re starting new plants, adding pollinator plants that are native to your area. Xerces Society has a wonderful page where you can download pollinator friendly plant lists for your area! It’s also time for Spring Cleaning! Plan out a ritual cleaning list and prepare for the year! Similar to Easter, dying eggs is also very popular for Ostara. Stick with greens, yellows, and lavender, bonus points if you can make or get natural/botanical dyes! Another popular craft (get ready to dig out your skills from 2014) is making flower crowns! Dandelions, daisies, crocus, violets, daffodils, and forsythias are all symbols of Ostara, so try to stick with these if you can! These are super easy and fun to make, and are great for a kids activity! Wear them while you journal your intentions for the year and plan your ritual cleaning. Like with most holidays, it is common to have a feast on Ostara as well. Cooking with eggs and early greens is a great way to incorporate it. I will have some recipes in my Ostara Pinterest board as well!

Colors & Symbols

Being a holiday celebrating the springtime and fertility, symbols like rabbits & eggs are a very easily accessible seasonal decor. As mentioned above, colors like green, yellow, and lavender are pretty standard, but pinks and blues fit as well! The crystals most commonly associated with Ostara are peridot, moss agate, and sunstone. Animals such as rabbits/hares, birds, lambs, and chicks are also common imagery, and most are often seen in spring seasonal decor, so they’re very easy to access. If you keep flowers, try adding crocus, violet, daffodil, or forsythia to your mix. Common plants to plant or eat include rhubarb, asparagus, peas, and lettuce. I’ll have some decor and altar inspo on my Pinterest board as well if you need some ideas!