Ostara Celebrations
Hey hi hello friends, and merry meet!
Ostara is probably my next favorite sabbath to celebrate, after Samhain (I'm such a sucker for Halloween, it's bad). I love celebrating new life and the transition into spring, with all of the pretty colors of the flowers and trees. Unfortunately living in Arizona I don't get quite nearly as much color as I did in California, but it's whatever.
For those who would like a little history of Ostara (aka the Vernal Equinox) here you go!
Because of the Goddess' association with Easter, her symbols include both the hare and the egg, typically decorated in bright colors, as both represent fertility and new life. Some common practices modern witches employ for Ostara are planting new seeds, baking bread and cakes, decorating eggs (or making chocolates in egg molds!), and changing their altars to represent the Goddess (should they be the deity they follow). Some bury raw eggs by the entrance of their home, to ensure abundance and fertility for the upcoming year!
I, personally, will be celebrating Ostara as I always do: baking as much as I possibly can. I've already gotten started, with a fresh pear tart.
Ostara is probably my next favorite sabbath to celebrate, after Samhain (I'm such a sucker for Halloween, it's bad). I love celebrating new life and the transition into spring, with all of the pretty colors of the flowers and trees. Unfortunately living in Arizona I don't get quite nearly as much color as I did in California, but it's whatever.
For those who would like a little history of Ostara (aka the Vernal Equinox) here you go!
Ostara takes its name after the Germanic goddess, Eostre/Ostara, who was traditionally honoured in the month of April with festivals to celebrate fertility, renewal and re-birth. It was from Eostre that the Christian celebration of Easter evolved, and indeed the naming of the hormone Eostrogen, essential to women's fertility. The Goddess Ostara has the shoulders and head of a hare.
Because of the Goddess' association with Easter, her symbols include both the hare and the egg, typically decorated in bright colors, as both represent fertility and new life. Some common practices modern witches employ for Ostara are planting new seeds, baking bread and cakes, decorating eggs (or making chocolates in egg molds!), and changing their altars to represent the Goddess (should they be the deity they follow). Some bury raw eggs by the entrance of their home, to ensure abundance and fertility for the upcoming year!
I, personally, will be celebrating Ostara as I always do: baking as much as I possibly can. I've already gotten started, with a fresh pear tart.
And I'm planning on making some bread later on today.
My dad (who is not a witch, he doesn't practice like me, but he's deeply attached to our Nordic/Viking heritage, and celebrates the gods of the old country) is celebrating by planting some new herbs and vegetables, a favorite pastime of his, as well as drying bundles of herbs we have in excess--namely cilantro, basil, and rosemary. We were planning on having a bonfire in our backyard tonight, but sadly that has to be cancelled as we had one of the longest thunderstorms ever yesterday, and all of our firewood is now wet and unusable.
If you celebrate the sabbaths, what are you planning for Ostara today?
Until next time!
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