The Christian holiday of Easter and the pagan holiday of Ostara typically fall very near to each other. (This year, they’re just over a week apart.) Both draw their names from the Teutonic goddess of the spring and the dawn, Oestre, or Eastre. And, boy, does spring really kick off from here.
The pagan festival of Ostara
marks the Spring Equinox - the time exactly mid-way between the Winter and
Summer Solstices. It is a time of balance. Night and day are of the same length
today but, from here on out, the days will be getting longer. Summer's on the
way, baby!
The Spring Equinox - or
Vernal Equinox - normally falls on or around the 21st of March. This year
(2013), it occurs on the 20th. They say that, at the exact moment of the equinox
- and just a few moments before and after - you can balance an egg upright.
I've never tried this...Have you? No, seriously... I'd love to know if it
actually works!
Common decorations, for
both Pagans and Christians alike, are painted eggs, rabbits and baskets of
fresh flowers. You may wonder what exactly those chocolate eggs and bunnies
that little boys and girls embrace have to do with Christianity and the rebirth
of Jesus Christ… Well, to be perfectly frank... Not one damned thing. Like so
many other traditions readily accepted by the Christian faith, the roots of
these symbols lie in the Pagan traditions of yore.
The egg is the most recognizable symbol of this holiday. It represents fertility - in both plants
and animals (and us, of course!) The Earth has shed her winter cloak and is
starting Her return to abundance. The trees are starting to grow tiny leaves,
the smell of fresh grass fills the air and early spring flowers like daffodils
are poking out of the newly softened ground.
It is easy to see why
bunnies are associated with this festival of fertility. You only have to think
of the commonly used phrase, “shag like a bunny" to see why. I don't think
I can go any deeper into this particular symbol without drawing a diagram.
*wink, wink* Another tradition that both Easter and Ostara share is a lovely
dinner of ham. This tradition can also be traced back to the ancient Pagans.
How so, you ask?
Well… during the hard
winter months, they would be forced to make due with the dried, cured meats (like
ham) that they prepared in the Autumn. When Spring arrived, they could start to
take advantage of the fresh produce of the season. The last of the cured meats
would be finished off and the hard-working farmers could start to look forward
to a few months of abundance.
The purchasing (or
making!) of new clothes at Ostara/Easter time is a tradition I'd never really
noticed. I saw it mentioned on a website a few weeks ago, however, and decided
to put some thought into it. I guess it's one of those things you notice less
once you're grown up because Mamaw and Papaw don't show up with new jumpers for
you on Easter morning anymore. But I was walking through ASDA (yes, I'm an ASDA
whore) just yesterday and I couldn't help but notice the new clothing lines.
And such vibrant colours!
Well, it makes sense,
doesn't it? The Earth gets new clothes... She gets new skirts of lush green and
yellow fields, new jackets of brilliant blossoms and crowns of new foliage.
It's all about shaking off the dark mantle of winter – for Her and us!
For me, Ostara is a
holiday of gentle wonder. Walking through my village at this time, I can't help
but stop and breathe deeply, taking in the smell of recently tilled soil, the
sight of budding flowers, the warmth of the sun on my cheeks, and the tinkle of
children's laughter as they play in their front yards. I marvel at the way the
Earth can spring back to life after so many months of harsh wind and rain (winter
in South Wales equals wind and rain.) And we,
Her children, mirror Her rebirth.
The Christian holiday of
Easter celebrates the rebirth of Christ, echoing the rebirth and rejuvenation
of the Earth at Spring. Not so far from we celebrate, is it? I grow through a
kind of rebirth myself at this time. A desire to make things, to make the most
of myself, to create, to love, to LIVE hits me about this time and positively
hums in my veins during the spring months. And it all starts here, now, with
this so-called Christian holiday chock full of Pagan traditions. With Ostara.
