Spring
has finally arrived! March has roared in like a lion, and if we're really
lucky, it will roll out like a lamb. Meanwhile,
on or around the 21st of the month, we have Ostara to celebrate. It's the time
of the Spring Equinox if you live in
the Northern Hemisphere, and it's a true marker that Spring has come.
The
word Ostara is just one of the
names applied to the celebration of the spring equinox on March 21. The Venerable Bede said the origin of the word is actually from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of
spring. Of course, it's also the same time as the Christian Easter celebration, and in the Jewish faith, Passover takes place as well. For early Pagans in the Germanic countries,
this was a time to celebrate planting and the new crop season.
Beltane and Spring Equinox honor the God as Man,
holding His rightful place in the sky as the waxing Sun. He is King among the deer herds, and the
Goddess has taken Him as Her rightful consort once more. Seeds have been planted and the Goddess is
becoming a Mother once again.
Today
many honor Frigg, Freya and Nerthus. Libations of mead are poured onto the
Earth. Ostara
celebrates the coming of spring and return of life after the dead of winter. Many Americans follow the tradition of coloring hard-boiled
eggs and giving baskets of candy. The Easter Bunny is a popular legendary anthropomorphic Easter
gift-giving character analogous to Santa Claus
in American culture.
Depending on your particular tradition, there are
many different ways you can celebrate Ostara, but typically it is observed as a time to mark the coming
of Spring and the fertility of the land. By watching agricultural changes -
such as the ground becoming warmer, and the emergence of plants from the ground
- you'll know exactly how you should welcome the season. To celebrate Spring Equinox some Pagans carry
out particular rituals. For instance a woman and a man are chosen to act out
the roles of Spring God and Goddess, playing out courtship and symbolically
planting seeds. Egg races, egg hunts,
egg eating and egg painting are also traditional activities at this time of year.
Eggs
Eggs
represent new life and new potential, thus they are often used as symbols of
Spring festivals. According to folklore,
eggs easily balance on their ends during equinox. Eggs are often colored and covered with
symbols that represent wisdom, strength, and fertility. Eggs are often given as gifts or charms to
children or other loved ones during the festivals.
Get Outside
Get
outside for a walk and picnic. This is the
time to run wild like the March Hare! Gather
together a group of friends to celebrate the first signs of spring. You could even nurture Mother Earth by organizing
a litter-pick. Then settle down on a
grassy knoll somewhere to enjoy a delicious picnic of joyful spring food: green
leaves, devilled eggs, seeds/grains like couscous or quinoa, and pumpkin and
sunflower seeds.
Honor the Birds
On
Ostara, you might want to clean the hair out of the family hairbrushes and put
it out for the birds to use as nesting material. When you do, send loving thoughts to the birds
that will use your hair to make their homes.
Garden
Blessing for Ostara
The earth is cool and dark,
and far below, new life begins.
May the soil be blessed with fertility and abundance,
with rains of life-giving water,
with the heat of the sun,
with the energy of the raw earth.
May the soil be blessed
as the womb of the land becomes full and fruitful
to bring forth the garden anew.
and far below, new life begins.
May the soil be blessed with fertility and abundance,
with rains of life-giving water,
with the heat of the sun,
with the energy of the raw earth.
May the soil be blessed
as the womb of the land becomes full and fruitful
to bring forth the garden anew.
The inherent worth and Dignity of every being.
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