You’ll notice that Ostara has a lot of overlapping symbolism with the Christian celebration of Easter, with eggs, bunnies, etc. There’s a lot of meaning for why Ostara celebrates these symbols, for example, eggs represent cyclical rebirth and symbol of creation to many cultures. They are associated frequently with the sun god, and even used to be left on the graves of loved ones we had lost if they believed in reincarnation. Interesting, right? So how can we honor this occasion today? I’ve got ten ideas for you, and they’re all super doable.
If you’re in the opposing hemisphere, you might be looking for the Mabon Guide.
10 Ways To Celebrate Ostara
1. Create/redo your altar. A perfect way to set the mood for Ostara is to create an altar as a sacred space. Supplies/materials to consider using for your Ostara altar include: nests, eggs, baskets, rabbits, snakes, yin yang symbols, white and black candles, milk, honey, sun and moon symbols, seeds, watering can, flowers, lily of the valley, lilac, jasmine incense, Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, Chrysoprase, Amazonite, Clear Quartz, and generally stick to green, light blue, light purple, and black and white color combinations.
2. Decorate eggs! I just mentioned the connection between Ostara and eggs, but did you know there’s actually two different names for the types of classic decorating done with eggs on Ostara? Krashanka (derived from a word meaning “color”) means to dye an egg, usually just using one bright color. The dyeing can be done in many different ways (including natural food and herb dyes). There’s also Pysanky (derived from a word meaning “to write)”, and it means to to simply write on your eggs (often before you dye the egg). You can use wax (white crayons!) or whatever writing tool you like. You can use hard-boiled eggs or craft eggs to keep around forever! (Bonus: do an egg hunt!)
3. Make hot cross buns. This is a very unique type of food that comes along with the celebration of Ostara; the roundness of the buns is supposed to represent the feminine goddess. You can find a recipe for them here. (Other foods you can make to celebrate Ostara include Lavender Cookies and Dandelion Green Salad.)
4. Buy or pick yourself flowers. Plant seeds, bulbs, plants, herbs, and flowers in your garden! Get those seeds started as soon as possible! You can also do some guerrilla gardening or give the gift of flowers to someone you love.
5. Carry a bag of seeds in your pocket around all day and allow it to remind you of the endless prosperity and abundance that spring and the world have to offer to your life.
6. Research goddesses associated with Ostara including Persephone and Eostre/Ostare.
7. Get outside into nature, and pay special attention to animals who are waking up and making noise, as well as plants that are starting to bud and bloom. Try doing a nature scavenger hunt!
8. Create a flower mandala and meditate around it.
9. Do some cleaning/decluttering and decorate your house for Ostara/Spring.
10. Create an Ostara ritual – Lastly, the best thing you can do for yourself is to just create a ritual that feels the best to you! There are tons of other things you can do to celebrate Ostara that I haven’t mentioned, and maybe you want to incorporate those into your own personalized ritual. For example, a Ostara party on March 20th, decorating your house, getting a Tarot reading, educating people on the origins of Ostara, doing Ostara/spring-themed crafts, journaling about beginnings, connecting to nature, say an Ostara blessing/prayer, etc, wearing green/light blue/light purple, wear primrose lilac, or other floral scents, tossing crushed egg shells into your garden, celebrating yin yang energy, wearing a totem/pendulum of a rabbit or snake (symbolizing rebirth), melting any snow remaining on the ground as a symbolic ritual, listening to songs about flowers and springtime, looking for four-leaf clovers. Do what feels right to you!
I made you a downloadable cheat sheet with the colors, crystals, apothecary, foods, activities, and altar supplies for your ease. Download it for free below!
Photo: Maura Housley
