Ostara, the first day of spring, marks the time where the sun passes over the celestial equator and night and day are equal lengths. Ostara is one of the eight sabbats of the wheel of the year and is celebrated around the 20th - 23rd March and the Southern Hemisphere on 20th - 23rd September.
Ways to Celebrate Ostara
One way is to dress in the colors of the season. These are mainly pastels, pastel pink, pastel blue pastel, green, pastel purple, and pastel yellow all that represent newly grown flowers, the newly grown sprigs on the trees, colours that are coming out at this time of year.
Use Crystals. Rose quartz, amethyst, rainbow moonstones moonstone, and aquamarine. They are prosperous, fertile crystals that are good to improve new beginnings, new developments, new growth.
Burn incense. Usually a floral centered incense. Rose or Jasmine, but any world scent is great at this time of year because of the new growth and new flowers that are coming out. It's also a way to represent the goddess of spring.
Paint Eggs for Easter
Give chocolate eggs as gifts or paint eggs with the children.
Another way of celebrating Easter is cooking. Or just have Hot Cross Buns. In the UK Hot Cross Buns are literally everywhere. The history of the hot cross bone is really interesting.
In the Christian tradition, the hot cross bun had a cross on it to represent Christianity. But in old folklore, the cross means something completely different. A lot of people believe that the cross on top of a hot cross bun represents the Sabbats and Equinoxes of the year crossing the wheel of the year. The winter and summer solstices and the spring and autumn Equinox as they divide the wheel of the year. So a nice way to celebrate the pagan wheel of the year.
Another item to bake is Ostara bread, which has a flavoring of lemon and poppy seeds. Also, there is Ostara cake, which is flavored with lemon and honey. Another idea is deviled eggs.
The food is usually based on the environment you live in. Nuts, seeds, eggs, milk are typical at this time of year, also dandelion tea, leafy greens and lots of vegetables. It's a time where new growth is appearing. Fresh green herbs and plants that are coming into season. Also lemon is a popular choice on pancake day because it is a representation of this time of year, which is a fresh new start.
Go for a walk enjoy nature
To go for a walk in the Woodland to see all of the trees that are around to work with their energies, and perhaps rabbit and hare spotting at the same time.
Meditate. Meditate on the new beginnings that could be coming to your future to think about your plan for the year, how you want to progress, where you want to go with your life. This time of the year is really good for doing new beginning meditations. Perhaps listen to bird song.
Decorate an altar. Perhaps start with a colored cloth, something pastoral, select a colours that really invigorates the space. Something that makes it feel light and fresh. Add pastel coloured candles onto the altar, although it is the start of spring, the dark nights are still here, although they are getting shorter. Burn some incense, Jasmine or Rose add crystals Rose quartz or amethyst or aquamarine or moonstone or rainbow moonstone. Add fresh cut flowers as an offering to the goddess of spring or whichever God you choose to work with at this time of year.
You can also add painted eggs, feathers paying homage to the folklore of the bird that was turned into a hare. You can also add seeds to represent new growth and new beginnings.
Revitalising your home. Decorate or just move furniture around, changing the color scheme, or just flowers around. Give everything a bit of a shakeup playing around with your environment and seeing if you like the energy better.
Work with tree energies
This can include a tree meditation. Sitting at the base of a tree and connecting with it. It can be working with tree spirits. It can be working with tree fairies. It can just be working with the wood in spell work or ritual.
Birch a tree of new beginnings of prosperous abundant futures. If you can find a Birch tree meditate see if it connects with you.
Alder is a tree of balance of connectedness between the physical and the spiritual world.
Ash is one of the three sacred trees and it's all about the interconnectedness of the world, how one thing can affect another. So if you're interested in tree magic or Druidry, connecting with trees this time of year is a really great place to start.
Spell work at this time of year is generally for new beginnings, abundance and fertility, almost cyclical of new beginnings, fresh starts. It is a great time to work in that kind of energy to help bring new things into your life or to bring back things that have been lost. These are wonderful things to do at this time of year.
The main thing is to enjoy the festival.