Ostara

[meridian_rose]

~Magickal Graphics~

Ostara is the Spring or Vernal equinox when days and nights are once again equal in length. It is a time of renewal and rebirth. The name Ostara is believed to be derived from Eostre - the Teutonic lunar Goddess. Her chief symbols are the hare, which represents fertility, and the egg, which is a symbol of rebirth.

Traditionally this day marks the start of Spring, and is a good time for cleaning in the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense. A good time to plant seeds, and a great time to put out bits of straw/fur from brushing your pets/bits of pet bedding from your small animals for birds to use for lining their nests :D

Ostara is close in symbolism to the Church festival of Easter, but Ostara is fixed at the equinox while Easter is a moveable feast decided by the phases of the moon.

Correspondences: green, yellow, black/white, pastel colours, eggs, hares, spring cleaning, balance, light/dark, crocus, daffodils, ducklings and chicks, lambs, honey, aquamarine. Recipes and foods involving duck, rabbit, eggs, milk, cheese, fresh spring greens.

You can read more about Ostara correspondences, food and rituals and Ostara Customs, Traditions and Folklore; the surprising Middle Eastern, pre-Christian, origins of Easter Eggs, and the disputed origins of Eostre.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it is Mabon that this being celebrated today at the time, with the balance of daylight about to go in the opposite direction; winter is coming drawing in, rather than summer.