How to Celebrate Ostara
Ostara celebrates the arrival of early spring and the balance between light and dark during the spring equinox, typically around March 20th or 21st in the northern hemisphere (September 20th or 21st in the southern hemisphere). A traditional pagan celebration, it is one of the eight sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.
The pagan holiday Ostara is named after the goddess Eostre, a goddess associated with fertility, renewal, and dawn. The holiday marks the time when day and night are of equal length, symbolizing balance, and its spring date celebrates new beginnings and the fertility of the land as it awakens from winter.
Ostara Celebrations
Many spring Ostara celebrations include egg decorating, planting seeds, and lighting candles to honor the return of the sun's warmth and the earth's green. The arrival of spring is a great time to perform rituals or meditations focused on setting intentions for the coming months, embracing personal growth, and expressing gratitude for balance and the cycles of nature.
Let's take a look at some of the way you could celebrate this Ostara!
Decorate Eggs
One of the most popular ways to celebrate Ostara is by dyeing eggs, a symbol of fertility, renewal, and the return of life in spring. Eggs represent fertility (as does the famous Easter bunny), but they also means potential growth and new life. This tradition dates back to ancient times and can be a fun, creative, and meaningful activity for individuals and families alike.
Although store-bought Easter egg dyes are commonly used, there are also many natural and unique methods to color eggs in ways that align with the themes of the season, from rainbow colored eggs to eggs in natural hues. Here are some possible ways to dye eggs for your Ostara celebration. Go be creative!
Ideas for Egg Dyeing
Naturally dyed eggs (from The Pioneer Woman)
Dyeing eggs with shaving cream (from Country Living)
Decorating eggs with temporary tattoos (from Sugar Moon Bloom)
Splatter painted specked eggs (from Martha Stewart)
Marbled eggs (from Better Homes & Gardens)
Making plastic eggs into glitter eggs (from Two Sisters Crafting)
Pysanky eggs (from Martha Stewart)
Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning is a time-honored tradition that symbolizes renewal, clearing out the old to make way for fresh energy and new beginnings. As the days grow longer and nature awakens, deep cleaning your home can help shift stagnant energy and create a space that feels lighter and more vibrant. Start by decluttering—donate or recycle items you no longer need, organize your belongings, and clear out dust and cobwebs that have accumulated over the winter months.
Opening windows to let in fresh air and using natural cleaners with citrus or floral scents can further refresh your home, making it feel bright and welcoming for the season ahead.
Decorate for Spring Equinox
Once your space is clean, decorating for spring can bring in warmth, color, and the joyful energy of the season. Incorporate fresh flowers like tulips, daffodils, or cherry blossoms into your home to add beauty and a natural connection to the blooming world outside. Pastel colors, such as soft green, yellow, and pink, can be introduced through pillows, table linens, or artwork to reflect the brightness of spring. Using nature-inspired elements like wooden accents, woven baskets, and floral wreaths can also create a cozy yet lively atmosphere. Switching to lighter fabrics for curtains, bedding, and throws can further enhance the airy and fresh feel of the season.
Adding seasonal touches to your home can make spring feel even more special and uplifting. Consider creating a nature-inspired centerpiece with fresh flowers, candles, Easter rabbits, and decorative eggs to celebrate renewal and fertility. Incorporate scents like lavender, lemon, or rosemary through essential oils, candles, or fresh herbs to bring a sense of calm and rejuvenation.
You can also embrace the changing season by rearranging furniture to maximize natural sun, bringing in potted plants to improve air quality, and even setting up an altar or sacred space to honor the energy of spring. By blending deep cleaning with intentional decorating, you create a home that feels refreshed, inspiring, and aligned with the season’s spirit of growth and renewal.
Make an Ostara Altar
Creating an Ostara altar is a beautiful way to honor the spring equinox, celebrating renewal, perfect balance, and the awakening of nature. Begin by choosing a space for your altar, whether it’s a tabletop, a shelf, or an outdoor area. Cover the surface with a cloth in seasonal colors such as pastel greens, yellows, pinks, or purples, symbolizing new growth, sunlight, and fertility. Adding representations of the elements—such as a small bowl of water, a feather for air, a candle for fire, and a crystal or plant for earth—can help bring harmony to your altar, reflecting the theme of equilibrium that Ostara embodies.
Decorating your altar with symbols of the season further enhances its energy. Fresh spring flowers like daffodils, tulips, and violets represent the blooming earth, while colored eggs, both real and decorative, symbolize fertility, new beginnings, and the cycle of life. You might also include a figure or image of a hare, an animal deeply connected to Ostara, representing abundance and intuition. (There are lots of options if you include Easter rabbits!)
Crystals such as rose quartz, amethyst, or aventurine can add their gentle, renewing energies, while seeds or potted plants symbolize the potential for growth in the coming months. If you practice divination, placing oracle or tarot cards that reflect themes of renewal can offer deeper spiritual insights.
To complete your Ostara altar, consider adding personal touches that resonate with your intentions for the season. If you seek new beginnings, place a journal or written affirmations to focus your energy on fresh opportunities. You can also usegreen, yellow, or pink candles to enhance the altar’s vibrancy and invite prosperity, joy, and love into your life. Finally, take time to meditate, offer gratitude, or perform a simple ritual at your altar, using it as a sacred space to align yourself with the energies of spring and the promise of renewal.
Honor Balance and Fertility
Honoring the idea of balance in your life during Ostara means embracing harmony between day and night, work and rest, and mind and body. The spring equinox—equal day and night—reminds us to seek equilibrium in all aspects of our lives. Practicing mindfulness, setting healthy boundaries, and creating a balanced routine can help align your energy with the season. You can also reflect on areas where you may feel out of sync and take steps to restore balance, whether that means adjusting your work-life division, nourishing your body with healthy foods, or making time for self-care and relaxation. Meditation and journaling can also be powerful tools for recognizing where you need more balance and setting intentions to achieve it. (Here's an Ostara meditation to get you started!)
Fertility, in an Ostara context, extends beyond physical reproduction and can symbolize creativity, growth, and new beginnings. Honoring fertility in your life means nurturing ideas, passions, and goals that you want to see flourish. This can be done by giving yourself time and space for that new project, setting intentions, or engaging in activities that inspire personal growth, such as learning a new skill or exploring creative hobbies. Spending time in nature, planting seeds, or tending to plants is another meaningful way to embrace fertility, as it mirrors the Earth's cycle of renewal. Whether it's cultivating new opportunities, fostering relationships, or simply embracing a mindset of abundance and possibility, celebrating fertility during Ostara encourages you to welcome growth in all forms.
Have a Feast
Feasting and celebrating during Ostara is a way to honor the season of renewal, fertility, and abundance. As nature awakens from winter's slumber, the world is bursting with new life, making it the perfect time to gather with loved ones and share in the joy of the changing season. Feasts symbolize gratitude for the Earth's bounty and the promise of growth and prosperity in the coming months.
Foods that represent fertility and renewal—such as eggs, dairy, honey, seeds, fresh greens, and early spring vegetables—are often included in Ostara meals. Whether you prepare a simple meal with seasonal ingredients or host a larger gathering with family and friends, sharing food is a meaningful way to connect with the rhythms of nature and embrace the themes of rebirth and balance.
Hold Festivities
Ostara festivities can include a variety of activities that celebrate the season's energy of renewal and joy. Traditional practices like egg decorating, planting seeds, and lighting candles can be incorporated into gatherings to create a festive atmosphere. Dancing, singing, and storytelling are also wonderful ways to honor the occasion, as they bring people together in celebration of life and transformation.
Outdoor picnics, nature walks, or even a bonfire can enhance the connection to the Earth and the awakening energy of spring. Whether through feasting, music, ritual, games, or other celebration, Ostara festivities allow people to embrace the changing season, cultivate gratitude, and welcome the warmth and daylight of the months ahead.
Reconnect with Nature
Reconnecting with nature during Ostara is a powerful way to honor the spring equinox season of renewal and align yourself with the Earth's awakening energy. Spending time outdoors, whether by taking a walk in the woods, visiting a park, or simply sitting in your yard, allows you to observe the signs of spring—blooming flowers, budding trees, and the return of birds and insects. You can deepen your connection by practicing grounding techniques, such as walking barefoot on the grass, meditating under the sun, or breathing deeply in fresh air.
Planting seeds is another meaningful way to engage with nature, symbolizing new beginnings and growth in both the physical and spiritual sense. Additionally, leaving an offering of seeds, nuts, or fresh water for wildlife, maybe even rabbits, is a way to give back to nature and show gratitude for its abundance and the arrival of spring. By immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and sensations of the natural world, you can embrace the energy of Ostara and celebrate the cycle of life and renewal.
Plan Your Garden
Planning your future harvest during the spring season is a meaningful way to embrace the themes of growth, renewal, and abundance. As the Earth awakens at the equinox and the last frost approaches, this is the perfect time to set intentions for the plants, herbs, fruits, or vegetables you wish to cultivate in the coming months. Begin by choosing the right space and considering the types of plants that align with your needs, whether they be for nourishment, healing, or spiritual practices.
Many people incorporate symbolic Ostara plants such as lavender, chamomile, rosemary, or spring flowers like daffodils and tulips. Preparing the soil, organizing seeds, and mapping out planting schedules can help ensure a thriving and balanced planting. If you don't have an outdoor space, container gardening or small herb gardens indoors can still connect you to the energy of the spring equinox season. By planting with intention and care, you align yourself with nature's cycles, fostering both physical growth in your plants and personal growth in your life.
More on Ostara
Now that you have some ideas for how to celebrate Ostara on March 20th or 21st in the northern hemisphere (September 20th or 21st in the southern hemisphere), do you want to explore more about Ostara? Here are some more spring equinox ideas and resources for the pagan holiday.
About Ostara
About Ostara: The spring equinox celebration of growing light, eggs, and Ostara traditions
The Goddess Eostre
The goddess Eostre: The Germanic goddess Eostre who reminds us to embrace change
Ostara Journal Prompts
Ostara journal prompts: 25 journal prompts to reflect with during Ostara
Ostara Meditation
Ostara meditation: A meditation on rebirth to celebrate Ostara and pay homage to the bountiful harvest we are planting now and looking forward to later in the year
Ostara Associations
Ostara associations: Eggs, hares, flowers, and more!
Introducing Our New Book!
The Ostara Companion: Spells, Meditations, Coloring Pages, and All About Ostara
