Vernal Equinox – Ostara 21 March
May 9th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Sometimes called “Ostra”, this festival accurs on or around 21 March every year.
This is one of the Wiccan Sabbats which is celebrated in the Northern hemisphere around 21 March and in the Southern hemisphere around September 23, depending upon the specific timing of the equinox. It is preceded by Candlemas and followed by Beltane.
The name Ostara is from “star”, the Old High German for “Easter”. It has been connected to the putative Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre by Jacob Grimm in his Deutsche Mythologie.
This festival is characterized by the rejoining of the Mother Goddess and her lover-consort-son who spent the winter months in death. Other variations include the young God regaining strength in his youth after being born at Yule, and the Goddess returning to her Maiden aspect
For Wiccans, Ostara is the day when the Goddess and God (variously identified as Mother Earth and the Green Man or the Young Maiden and Sun God) join in sacred marriage. The Goddess will conceive and give birth in nine months. The increased growth and strength of nature in the spring is due to the rising power of the Goddess and God.
Ostara is celebrated with various rituals such as fertility, nature and new growth. Egg races, egg hunts, egg eating and egg painting are common activities. A man and a woman might be chosen to act out the roles of Spring God and Goddess, playing out courtship and symbolically planting seeds.
Eating fresh spring foods like sprouts, dandelion greens, and nettles can also form part of the symbolism. Some people fast during this period, to clear away the toxins of the winter. Many Wiccans plant a herb garden (for later use in spells) on Ostara. Home altars might feature spring flowers, seeds, jasmine or flowery incense, and the gemstone of jasper.
Related posts:
Tags: 