A pagan celebration of spring - Happy Ostara everyone!
Ostara is the second minor sabbath of the pagan year (there are 4 major and 4 minor). It celebrates spring and everything connected to it. As we notice the snow melting and animals coming out of their winter lairs, we are starting with our planting of the first seeds. The main aspect of this sabbath is the new birth. Everything is being reborn in the nature that surrounds us. This is also the time when the Goddess is seen as a Mother for the first time. A lot of people are still celebrating her as a Maiden and will be doing so until she gives birth. She is often presented as a woman of long red hair surrounded by green nature, holding rabbits and flowers. In this time of connection between the God and the Goddess, night and day have the same length and we are also celebrating the spring equinox.
History of Ostara
The word Ostara comes from the German Goddess of spring and dawn Eostare. Her name comes from words that are related to dawn and rays coming from the East. Some even say that the hormone estrogen also got its name from her. Eostara is the Goddess of fertility and her symbols are eggs and rabbits. Legend tells a story of how she found a wounded bird and saved her life by turning her into a rabbit. That was not an ordinary rabbit because he was still able to lay eggs like a bird. Out of his gratitude, he decorated some eggs and gave them to Goddess as a gift. She loved them so much that she decided to share them with everyone. Until this day, decorated eggs are a common present to give someone on this sabbath.
Traditions and customs
The main custom here is the colouring of eggs and giving them as presents to our friends and family. People usually go for a walk in nature and observe the animals and plants. Rituals that are performed are bound to new beginnings, creation and birthing of ideas, plans and actions. On the last sabbath (Imbolc) we were getting rid of old habits and all the stuff that is not of use to us anymore, and now we have a fresh new start and an opportunity for new prosperous energies to come and bless us with abundance in everything we do. This is a good time to try on new clothes, jewellery, meet new people and start a new project.
THEMES: fertility, birth, beginning, sexuality
SYMBOLS: coloured and decorated eggs, green clothes, rabbits, flowers
PLANTS: spring flowers
FOOD: milk products, seeds, eggs, green leafy vegetables
COLOURS: green, gold, yellow
CRYSTALS: aquamarine, rose quartz, moonstone, agate, lapis lazuli
This is a great time for you to start something new. Meditate and think about what could you do in your physical and spiritual life that would bring you more growth, knowledge, experience and joy. Visit nature sites and observe the behaviour of animals. Admire the wildlife. Decorate some eggs and give them to those you love. Plant a seed and dedicate it to one of your goals. As you see the plant grow it will remind you of your personal growth. Fill yourself with brand new and fresh energy and feel the power in you that is pointing you toward your success. Sing, dance and rejoice life. Celebrate life!
Correlations with other religions and paths
Pagans who are following the Greek tradition are celebrating the return of Persephone from Hades, and in the Celtic culture, we have Olwen from whose footsteps grow flowers. In the Babylonian culture, we are celebrating "Happy day" because Tammuz and Ishtar have returned from the underground, just as the Inanna has returned to Sumerians. The old Achaemenians have celebrated No Ruz (New Day) and there are also famous celebrations of Mithra for the Romans and the Return of the Sun Snake for the Mayas. In this time of year Jews are celebrating Pasha and Christians have the Easter celebration.
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For my "Philosophy of happiness" posts, please follow these links:
- A TABOO topic, shhh...
- Why do you hate Mondays?
- Mirror, mirror, on the wall...
- Personal journey to a land of mental disorders and back
- FAKE smiles are unhealthy
- What are the ROOTS of the embarrassment WEED?
- Why do we and how do we learn ANYTHING?
- How to train your brain to be positive
- Do you KNOW how to love and be loved?
- What is the philosophy of HAPPINESS?
- Are you carrying emotional WOUNDS or emotional SCARS?
- THE BRAIN talking about A BRAIN
- Science behind "THE CHANGE" and why are we so good at procrastination
Saint Patrick didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland, he drove the Druids out. The actual word is serpent, and there was a lot of blood involved.
But it IS Spring, the time of renewal. A good time by any measure.
And that is why I do not celebrate st.Patrick day :)
Me either. I have a good friend that hosts a dinner on St. Pats day every year. I haven't been for several years (we are 1000 miles apart now). The 'Custer had it coming' dinner. :)
Ireland too was a big pagan country before the beliefs were absorbed by the catholic church. I would be much closer to paganism than any other religion. We went from a belief of worshipping mother earth to worshipping a sky god that lives in the clouds at the expense of our natural world. I would never have described myself as a religious person but I would, especially since becoming Vegan be more inline with the belief of how we and our earth are all connected. How can we destroy life and not have a knock on effect in our own life?
This is a lovely post @zen-art. I wish I had more SP for my vote!
England is still considered the "motherland" of modern paganism. Did you know that there is a witch museum even? Humans did go from ground to sky and lost the connection with the female energy. We have a lot of male energies in todays modern world and religions. I am not saying male energies are a bad thing, but they are out of balance. Male needs female, and female needs male. Those are polarities that we all have in ourselves and have nothing to do with our gender. We are witnessing how going to extremes is a bad approach. Thank you for your lovely comment. 💚
No idea about this and SO interesting [and positive!]
I was wondering if the word has also to do with the mentioned Isthar [or Lilith] here or Hebrew 'Esther'... I might look into it more, since I wrote my Theology thesis on Lilith :) I love those subjects - and I love the way you write! Also, cool song! :)))
Happy Ostara @zen-art ! :)
You wrote your thesis on Lilith???? Wow, I would really like to read that one day! 💚
I should send it to you :) I'll DM you :)
Pleaseeeeeee do 💚
I will soon then :) Probably later tonight ;)
Nice article, I enjoyed reading it 😊 You got yourself a new follower @zen-art, looking foorward to reading your posts 💜
Thank you @starjewel! It is great to see you here 💚
Congrats @zen-art , your writing skills are impressive. I’m interested in some of your subjects, will make time to ‘savor’ your posts. 🌹
All modern 'religions' pull their ideas from the pagan belief systems. Also, it should be spring any time now, but we still have the snow and a pretty cold weather.
Yeah, they do. There will be some more posts like this in the future :)
Napokon mitologija od tebe :D Sad samo nastavi još sa ovom temom :)
Bit će bit će, polako 💚
So that's why we have colorful eggs... I always wondered why we had colorful eggs during easter. That has been enlightening! Helps me explain to my kids too =)
Yes, that is why there are coloured eggs in Easter :)
Thank you for stopping by, now your kids will be even more happier 💚
Baš si Lada. Vesna
Neodlučan si. Jesam Lada ili Vesna? Ili si i filozofski nastrojen pa sam oboje što je isto ok 💚
Lada...kaže Vesna :)
Happy Ostara!
Thanks, you too 💚
My family hates when I start bringing up the true origins of spring celebrations. haha
Fantastic write-up!
Thank you @thatsweeneyguy, try to be good and don't piss off your family too much 💚