What will you be doing to celebrate Ostara?

United States
March 4, 2008 11:02am CST
For my family, we will be celebrating Ostara by coloring eggs, planning a feast of fresh new greens, new potatoes, ham, and deviled eggs... We will be giving thanks for the new beginnings of Spring..the kids and I will be making a tree decorated with hollowed eggs, painted in festive colors in shades of pastels. Ostara is one of the four lesser Wiccan holidays or sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. Ostara is celebrated on the spring equinox, in the Northern hemisphere around March 21. Ostara is the virgin Goddess of spring. This holiday concerns the deity's trip to the underworld, and their struggle to return from the Land of the Dead to Earth. When they accomplish this return, they have a life renewed. It was considered bad luck to wear anything new before Ostara, so the people would work through the winter in secret to make elegant clothes for the Sabbat celebration. The entire community would gather for games, feasting, and religious rituals while showing off their clothing. The lamb was another symbol of Ostara, and was sacred to the Virgin Goddess of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.. The modern belief that eggs are delivered by a rabbit known as the Easter Bunny comes from the legend of the Goddess Eostre. So much did a lowly rabbit want to please the Goddess that he laid the sacred eggs in her honor, gaily decorated them, and humbly presented them to her. So pleased was she that she wished all humankind to share in her joy. In honor of her wishes, the rabbit went through the entire world and distributed these little decorated gifts of life. Does your family have any special plans to celebrate Ostara?
3 people like this
6 responses
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
4 Mar 08
i will celebrate ostara or Oestera as i know it, buy spening an egg first thing on a morning and then doing some egg coulopring with the children. It always is lamb for lunch on Oestera day and we will celebrate the rebirth of spring
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Mar 08
That sounds lovely...thank you for sharing with me..
1 person likes this
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
20 Nov 08
well thank you for best response always much appreciated blessed be
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
4 Mar 08
Hi there Sweetie it is so good to see you again I really miss you I have never heard of this before so I do not know what it is about I hope that you have a nice time though Love and Hugs
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Mar 08
Thank you, my dear friend...I have missed you too! Give Gissi a big hug for me... Ostara is the Wiccan holiday for Easter..I guess that would be the best way to explain it..LOL Love and hugs, Tina
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
4 Mar 08
Interesting...I've always struggled between the Jesus Easter and the Easter Bunny Easter. What I know of Wiccan holidays always did seem to make a little more sense at times. I didn't know much about this one so thanks for sharing!
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Mar 08
You are most welcome, my friend... I also struggled many years with some of the more orthodox beliefs that I was taught and then for many years just did not have any religious beliefs that I called my own...after rediscovering Wicca...I find my life has so much more and I feel good about myself..my life...others..and I place within all of it... Hugs, Tina
• United States
17 Mar 08
We homeschool and this year we'll be getting together with my son's homeschool group (which is made up of pagan families) at a park. The park we'll be meeting at has fountains and water stuff for the kids to play in.We'll also be celebrating March birthdays for those kids that were born in this month.I think the crafts planned include egg decorating.
1 person likes this
@makingpots (11915)
• United States
4 Mar 08
Hi, tinamwhite. This is the first I have heard of Ostara. Thank you for all the interesting information. I love learning new things. I hope you and your family have a beautiful celebration.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Mar 08
Thank you, I am so glad to be able to show you a climpse into the holidays of my faith...it is interesting just how many of the traditional holidays got their beginnings in the Pagan faiths... I hope that you and your family are doing well..
@scammerwear (1433)
• Singapore
6 Mar 08
Omgz! I almost forgot about Ostara, thanks for the reminder! My friends and I normally go for a dinner or a bbq for pagan sabbats. The local pagan community is very under developed, so there isn't any public rituals to join. Since Wicca and Western Paganism isn't recognized by the law here, trying to hold one could have us thrown in jail =x
1 person likes this