Ostara, or Eostre (Eostra), is the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of the Dawn. In modern Druid Traditions Ostara is Called Albon Eilir which means "Light of the Earth", and is the second of three spring celebrations which is celebrated between Imbolc and Beltane.
For my family, the Main themes of our Ostara celebrations are Rebirth, Love & Warmth, Fertility, and the Sharing of Blessings and Support. This year, Ostara falls on March 19th for us, and as we prepare for this holiday, we can see the wildlife outside bounce and sway to the drums of Spring, adding their own sweet notes to the symphony of renewed life that follows the Sun's path as it grows warmer. All of nature becomes filled with the anticipation and excitement of Spring.
As a homeschooling mom, I find great joy in sharing the earth's cycles and pagan traditions with my son, helping him gain a sense of appreciation for the natural world around us. I've found some amazing pagan friendly books to share with him about the Spring Equinox and I can't wait to share those with you! You can soon find those reviews here on this blog. But for the moment, I'm more interested in sharing with you some wonderful ways to celebrate, and decorate, for this glorious occasion!
1. Dyeing eggs is one of the most common activities during the Spring Equinox. One of the coolest things I've found that my son and I can do is try to find plants and foods to dye eggs with, and see what kind of colors we can get. Here I've created an image to show some simple and common ingredients used to naturally dye eggs:
The dyes are made by bringing your chosen ingredient and one cup of water to a boil in a pot, and then simmering on low for about 15-20 minutes. Allow the dye to cool, then strain it and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar per each 1 cup of water. This solution can then be poured over the eggs, and placed in the refrigerator until you get the color you like. It's such a great and fun little experiment to try with kids!
2. We also enjoy making "Sprout Houses". I've found some wonderful instructions for making those HERE, so you can check that out and see what kind of Fairy Castles are possible with this method!
Like any other family we enjoy a good Egg Hunt, we like to make Kites, plant seeds, and above all... Just enjoy nature all together. We also Love to Make what I call Casting Eggs!
3. Casting Eggs (or Blessing Eggs) are hollowed out egg shells filled with herbs, perfumes, glitter, and love! Eggs filled with Confetti are still a common tradition in Mexico today, and they are called Cascarones. In ancient pagan traditions, it was customary to surprise someone with the Blessing Egg, which was filled with blessing herbs and perfume, by smashing it on top of the person's head and running away! It's also remeniscent of the Anglo Saxon celebrations of the Goddess Eostre who brought her friend Lepus down to Earth to spread joy and blessings among all creatures. I love this tradition, and we've incorporated all of these ideas into the "Casting Egg".
To create these fantastic cells of joy, we poke holes at each end of the egg and blow out all the insides. We then carefully create an opening at the top of the egg once it's dried, and add in everything we want to put inside. I, of course, always take into account the ingredients I add to create an actual spell for fertility, prosperity, and blessing. Once the egg is filled, we then tape the tops back on. If you'd like more detailed instructions, I'm sure there are better ways and you can find many videos on youtube about how to make Cascarones. It's just such a fun project, and an absolutely delightful way to deliver your bright blessings to everyone you love!
With all of the great traditions we can discover for celebrating the Spring Equinox, it's also important to ask yourself as a pagan...
- How Can I Decorate for Ostara, or Find Pagan Specific Products for This Sabbat?!?
I know it can be hard. My son and I would always end up making our own paper decorations because all I could ever find in stores are Easter Bunnies. While some of those decorations could work here and there, it was hard to feel like "we" just don't have a marketplace specifically for Pagans and Wiccans full of things we actually care about.
Once I discovered Zazzle and saw that there were other pagan artists with the same idea... I realized that there really WAS a market for us! It is the main reason I began selling on Zazzle, simply to provide items for Pagan & Wiccan families and individuals! For my son and I, it's difficult to feel a sense of community where we live and I'm sure many families have the same issue. With access to the internet, to pagan specific books and products however, it becomes much easier to provide a sense that we DO have a place in the world and that there are many, MANY people out there just like us! So here are my top picks from Zazzle for Spring Equinox Celebrations!
This Spring Equinox Flower Maiden Party Invitation is my first stab at a Sabbat invitation and I think it worked out quite well. It is a beautiful and vibrant watercolor collage design for inviting your friends and family to your Ostara celebration. Zazzle takes the invitation and card industry quite seriously, and even with the amount of Pagan shops on Zazzle there are very few Sabbat Invitations. This is a market I will definitely be exploring more of, simply because I think our celebrations deserve to be treated as if they are important to us... Because they are!
Here is a wonderful Ostara Banner created by the ScreamingShadows shop. It is a clear depiction of Eostre walking the Earth to give blessings and fertility to all. The banner is of lightweight and flexible material and is 2.5'l x 6'w (horizontal) or 6'l x 2.5'w (vertical).
Now here is something I wasn't able to find, so I decided I better make some! These are Temporary Tattoos for Ostara! What a fun way for kids and adults to adorn themselves with vibrant spring colors and Goddesses to celebrate the Equinox! Each of these designs are also available on Greeting Cards, Keychains, and many other products that you can find HERE!
Need Napkins for your party? Here is a bright and colorful Sweet Wildflower Spring design perfect for Ostara, or any Spring Gathering! This design is also available on Coasters, Car Air fresheners, Pillows, and More!
Another fantastic design I found is this "In Bloom" pillow design created by Ashley Ryan from her ArtOfAshleyRyan shop. Her art is simply Luscious and Magickal!
For those of us who enjoy making mini "Egg Trees" for Ostara, here is a wonderful Ostara in Blooming Tree ceramic Ornament! The Goddess is depicted elegantly and peacefully, surrounded by the beautiful blooms of spring.
Zazzle has so many wonderful products created by Pagans, for Pagans that just can't be found anywhere else! I truly hope you've enjoyed my ideas and product picks for Ostara. And I sincerely hope you have a Blessed and Beautiful Spring Equinox Celebration!
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