Ostara: Spring Equinox

It's officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere today at 10:06 pm CT. Woohoo!

The spring equinox is one of two days (the other is the autumnal equinox) when day and night hours are equal. From now until the summer solstice, day light hours will begin to get longer and of course, warmer.

Ostara celebrates the spring equinox. This Sabbat connects to symbolism of resurrection from dark to light, death and rebirth, new life and transformation. For centuries, many ancient cultures held mythology of deities who returned from the dead or the underworld, such as Odin, Dagda, Persephone, Osiris, Mithras, Hera, Orpheus, and Attis. Read about Odin here. These stories were eventually adapted into many world religions and their holy texts.

Pagan celebrations and feasts occurred near the vernal equinox, which included seed sowing, dying eggs, lily flowers on altars, dancing, drinking, newborn lambs, ducks, and chicks--which have become part of today's Passover and Easter holidays.

A fun project to try with kids or grandkids is to experiment with using various fruits and vegetables to conjure up natural egg dyes. Onions, cabbage, blueberries, beets, carrots, and more can produce some vibrant colors!

Do what lights you up,
Sadie

See also:
Gorse Day Before Spring Equinox
Aries 2024
Gorse: Ohn
Gorse: Othila
Gorse: Bumblebee Jasper
Gorse: Bee 
Celtic Tree Months