Celebrate Ostara

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This post will share a celebration of Ostara themes, activities, decorations, spells, crafts, recipes, and correspondences.

Ostara, the Spring equinox, and the Rites of Spring all occur on March 20-23. This day is the doorway to summer, the day of equal day and equal night. The male sun God and female moon goddess are equals.

From this day forward, the sun overtakes the dark, and the world has an energy shift to life over death. The earth on its axis begins to tilt toward the sun, and thus each day becomes warmer.

Ostara is one of the four fire festivals and the last festival in the dark half of the year. This is when the sun enters Aries, the sign of the ram, and thus the lamb. The sun rises at true east on this day.

On Ostara, the Green man, the spirit of vegetation returns, releasing the spirit of plant life, and the growing season starts. It is the end of hibernation. The mating season of man and beasts begins. The flowers begin to bloom; the birds begin to sing, Robin Red Breast returns, and the hens begin to lay eggs once again.

Ostara is a fertility festival that honors Eostre, the Norse Goddess of Spring. Eostre was honored by the Germanic tribes, Egyptians, Greek, Romans, and many more under many names.

The white rabbit or hare and the egg are sacred to Eostre. The words estrogen and Easter are derived from her name.

At the Spring equinox, the white rabbit or hare wanted to honor the Goddess with a gift. A plain egg would not do, so he decorated it and delivered it to Eostre. This is how the Easter bunny became the one to deliver decorated eggs.

Themes for Ostara and the Spring Equinox

Fertility

Winter has ended, and life is returning. Plants are beginning to grow. Buds are forming on trees and shrubs. Rabbits have new bunnies in a few short weeks, and bunnies are everywhere. Lambs are birthed, and with the increased hours of daylight, hens begin to lay eggs and hatch chicks. The egg is the ultimate symbol of fertility, representing the resurgence of new life and female fertility. Life is coming out of the darkness as we have come out of the dark half of the year.

All the religions at this time of year have a rebirth of their God in one form or another. It is a rebirth of hope and renewal. We, too, need to have a renewal of our life’s possibilities and plans.

Balance

Just as the day and night are balanced, we need to balance ourselves. We need to check in on ourselves and evaluate if we are on the right path. Are we taking the proper steps to reach our goals and putting enough energy into those steps?

Is there a balance between work and play? Are we allocating enough time for our friends and family and those relationships? It is time to declutter our minds and environment.

The ow l is a symbol of wisdom. Find a representation of an owl. It can be a picture, a figurine, or a piece of jewelry. The presence of the owl will remind you to stay on track.

Growth

This is a time to grow your spirituality, get your finances in order, and take advantage of new opportunities and adventures. Take an inventory of your behavior. Is there room for improvement in some sectors? Like the butterfly, we are emerging from the dark and leaving the cocoon behind. Leave the past behind and move forward as your better self.

Fill a disposable cup with potting soil. Plant a bean seed in it., Water it, and place it on a sunny window sill. While you are going through these steps, concentrate on wishes you would like to come true. In your mind’s eye, see them happening. Each time you water your bean review and visualize your wishes again. When your bean is large enough and the nights warm enough, plant your bean in the garden where it can bear fruit.

Decorations for House and Altar for Ostara

The decorations for Ostara are light, airy, and cheerful. Pale pastels, white and light green are the colors of Spring. Bulb flowers such as crocus, daffodil, tulips, and lily ( which is a symbol of life ) can be force bloomed inside, so you have beautiful flowers for indoor display. Marjoram, thyme, and sage are the herbs of Spring. Crystals for Spring include clear quartz, rose quartz, and pink or green tourmaline. Flowery incense is the order of the day.

Your altar might include blue or silver to represent the Goddess and moon and red or gold to represent the God and sun. You can make a nest with Spanish moss and place decorated eggs in it. You can add pastel candles, solar symbols, and feathers to represent the air element. The butterfly, ladybug, rabbits, chicks, and bumblebee are symbols of Ostara that can be incorporated into your altar arrangement.

Your altar can be set up in a private place or as part of your house decorations with no one the wiser. Don’t forget to add a seashell for water, salt for the earth, incense for air, and a candle for the element of fire for your altar.

Activities

Clean your home. Perform a purification. Use a sage smudge stick and walk through every room in your home. Fan the smoke from the sage over and around all doors, windows, and vents. Create a rhyming quatrain ( a four-line verse ) to speak as you are going about your smudging, expressing the cleansing, purification, and warding off of evil from entering. Follow this with a protection spell. Make another circuit around your home, and while speaking your quatrain, place a dab of rosemary essential oil ( not fragrance oil ) over each door and windowsill. Your quatrain can be something simple such as – “I clean and smudge, all is clear, I will not fear, no evil shall enter here.”
Create an outdoor sacred space. It can be in the corner of your backyard or even the side yard. It doesn’t have to be large. A tiny little garden will do. Create a peaceful place to sit, decorate with a statue. You can have a small water feature such as a little pond or a fountain. Add wind chimes, artwork, a bird feeder, mosaic pieces, a bird bath, a small three-stone cairn, or a small path—plant appropriate plants for sun or shade. Your sacred space can be anything you want.
Plant a tree. Rowan and Oak trees are both sacred and will protect your home. If you have a good place to put your tree by the front door, all the better.
Go on a Spring nature walk. Closely observe the plants to view the changes. Are flowers popping up? Shrubs developing buds? Collect feathers, fallen wood to make a wand and search for a fallen bird nest. This is an enjoyable activity to do with the children.
Start the morning by getting up and going out to watch the sunrise on this Spring Equinox day. Then enjoy a large breakfast with the family. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, steel-cut oatmeal, fresh berries, and orange juice. Yum.
Have an Easter egg hunt.
Do a spell to restore balance. Write a quatrain that expresses what you wish. Do this where and when you will not be disturbed. Light a yellow candle and floral incense. Sit quietly, reciting your spell and breathing deeply until you feel that you have done enough.
Plant a hardboiled egg decorated with the sun in the center of your garden to bring about fruitfulness.
Walk around the outer limits of your garden and drizzle a little honey along the way to have the blessing of the bees.
Decorate your outside areas by hanging colorful plastic eggs from your trees, bushes, eaves, mailbox, and light fixtures. Most plastic eggs come with a hole in the top; if not it is a simple matter to drill one. You can use an embroidery thread or a 1/4-inch ribbon. Cut a 12-inch length for each egg. Fold it in half. Pop the egg apart and thread the folded end through the hole in the top from the inside. Make a knot with your thread/ribbon’s loose ends to secure your thread/ribbon inside the egg. Put the two halves of the egg back together. Fill a basket with your eggs and have some fun.

Decorate Ostara eggs with natural dyes rather than store-bought. It takes a little longer but is worth the effort. Gather the plant material for the colors you want to make. Boil 3 cups of water, and then add your dyeing material. Return to a boil, then let it simmer until it reaches the depth of color you desire. Strain off and discard plant material. Simmer and add 2 tablespoons cream of tartar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Place your prepared dye in a cup where you will place an egg and let it cool.

Pink-raspberries, beets, cranberries, cherries, heather

Orange-carrots, turmeric, saffron

Yellow-cumin, dandelion, chamomile, yellow onion skins

Green-spinach, carrot top

Blue-blueberries, red cabbage

Purple-red wine

You can use wax crayons to make designs on your eggs before dyeing them. These eggs will come out in colors more like eggs found in the wild, not like the very bright colors made with artificial dyes.

Make a fairy garden. Start with a wide-mouthed flower pot and fill it with potting soil. Place a miniature toadstool or house in your flower pot. You can find them on Amazon. Create a path to the house with small flat stones. Plant succulents in your fairy garden. Keep inside until the nights warm up, then place in your back yard at the base of a tree, on your deck or patio to entice the fairies to come and bless your home.
Make Ostara incense. In a mortar, combine three parts cinnamon, one-half part dried sage, one part dried lavender, or jasmine or lemon verbena. All are available on Amazon. Grind together until fine. To burn, use a fireproof container and place cat litter in it as a base for your charcoal disk, which is also available on Amazon. Light your charcoal disk and let it burn until it is gray with ash. Place some of your incense atop your charcoal and enjoy.
Plant an herb garden as large or small as you like. Prepare a circle garden and divide it into wedges. Plant a different herb in each wedge section. Place a birdbath in the center. Plants you might use include :

Basil for protection, salads, and cooking.

Chamomile for prosperity and to make tea to soothe a stomach or assist in sleep.

Hyssop for protection or as a tea for a general tonic.

Echinacea for purification or as a tea to boost the immune system.

Garlic for protection, healing and to lower blood pressure. Cooking.

Parsley as an antihistamine, diuretic, fever reducer. Salads and to cook.

Peppermint for purification and indigestion. Use as a refreshing tea and cook with it.

Rosemary for love and remembrance. Purification. Cooking.

Feverfew for fever reducer and filler for bouquets.

Plant a maze with boxwood, yew, or privet

Recipes

The main foods for Ostara are eggs, honey, and milk. Others are Spring greens, asparagus, lamb, maple syrup, and cakes.

Easy Quiche

1 Ready-made pie crust

1 egg

4 teaspoons flour

1/2 cup milk

Mix together and then fold in;

8 oz. shredded cheese – cheddar or swiss

1 tablespoon chopped green onion

12 pieces cooked and crumbled bacon. You can replace this with diced ham or crab meat if desired

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minute

Ostara Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon instant yeast

4 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large eggs

4 Tablespoons softened unsalted butter

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Icing

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 ounces + 2 Tablespoons softened cream cheese

1 Tablespoon softened unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons water

Blend together well. Spoon into a piping bag with a round tip. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Buns

Scald milk over medium heat until froth forms around the edges of the pan. Set aside to cool.

In a small pan, combine 1 1/2 cup water, raisins, and baking soda. Bring to a boil and cook until raisins are plump. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm milk, yeast, and sugar.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the flour, spices, and salt. Mix well.

Add eggs and butter to the yeast mixture. Stir until butter is melted. Add yeast mixture to the flour in the mixing bowl.

Use a dough hook attachment mix for 5 minutes at medium speed. If the dough is still clinging to the side of the bowl, add 1/4 cup flour and mix.

Add raisins and mix them into the dough.

Turn the dough out into a large oiled bowl. The dough will be sticky. Roll it around until all the surface of the dough is oiled. Cover and let rise until double in size, about two hours.

Line a 9 X 13 size pan with parchment paper, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Quickly roll each into a ball and place it in the pan.

Cover the pan and allow the dough to rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, in a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil one minute longer. Set aside.

Brush the top of the rolls with the sugar syrup and let sit for 15 minutes.

Using the icing, pipe a line down the top center of each row of the rolls. Turn the pan and pipe down the top center of the rolls in the other direction forming a cross of icing across each roll.

1 thought on “Celebrate Ostara”

Barb Yost

March 18, 2022 at 7:52 pm

I love the good witch’s post on the celebrations. There is always so much information. I look forward to following her advice & recipes for the different ceremonies. Thanks !