Ostara derives from the Proto-Germanic word Ēostre, meaning “to shine” or “to glow.”
In the Northern Hemisphere, Ostara is celebrated at the Spring Equinox, around March 21–23.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it falls around September 21–23.
(The exact date can shift by a day or two each year.)
Contrary to common misconceptions, Ostara also known as Ēostre is not an ancient Celtic festival. The idea spread mainly during modern Wiccan times, although Ostara/Ēostre is a Germanic goddess.
In the Middle Ages the name Alban Eilir was introduced by Iolo Morganwg (born Edward Williams), who sought to attach it to a druidic festival. Morganwg was a Welsh poet, collector and enthusiastic literary forger, many of his works were later proven to be fabrications. Despite this, numerous modern druid organizations still follow his ideas.
The name Ostara and its variations were preserved in the later Christian celebration of Easter. Jacob Grimm wrote that ancient pagan beliefs were so deeply rooted that Christian teachers adopted both the name and elements of the festival. He also noted that outside Germanic traditions, the biblical term Pascha (Passover) was used. According to Grimm, the goddess’s cult existed among northern peoples until it faded with the spread of Christianity. Ostara is therefore considered a festival of Germanic origin.
The hare that brings eggs during Ostara is a well known symbol. Both hares and eggs have long represented fertility. Various legends explain why a hare brings or lays eggs at this time.
One story tells that Ostara transformed a small bird into a hare to save it, but the transformation was incomplete so the hare continued to lay eggs.
Other versions involve Freyja, whose chariot pulling lynxes (later softened into cats in folklore) became hares. Sometimes the chariot’s owner is Ostara herself. The symbol typically refers to wild hares (often identified with the genus Lepus), not domestic rabbits. Essentially, two fertility symbols merged into one tradition.
Ostara is celebrated at the equinox or the following full moon. It marks the awakening of spring and the celebration of fertility. Alongside Beltane, it is one of the major fertility festivals yet unlike Beltane, it focuses on beginnings: the emergence of life, when the body and the Earth prepare for motherhood.
Planting and sowing seeds, decorating, hiding and finding eggs, egg baskets, observing birds, blessing plants, wearing green, gardening, celebrating fertility.
Fertility magic, candle magic, plant blessings, growth, development, new plans, hope, new beginnings.
Violet, strawberry, jasmine, ginger, hyssop, rose, pansy, daffodil, lily, lavender.
No specific tools commonly just a candle.
Jasper, bloodstone, aquamarine, rose quartz, moonstone, sunstone, tourmaline.
Green, pastel tones, light blue, red, yellow, white.
Eggs, Moon, hare, grass, flowers, duck, chick, young animals, antlers, butterfly, seedlings.
Eggs, ham, fish, bread, sweet bread, honey, seeds, asparagus, fresh fruit, lamb or rabbit meat, edible flowers, milk, green vegetables, apples.
Astarte, Osiris, Narcissus, Dionysus, Ares, Mars, Ostara, Kore, Persephone, Liber, Mithras, Pan, Adonis, Odin, Freyja, Hera, Ishtar, Isis, Minerva, Renpet, the Muses, Gaia.
Jasmine, moss, oak, pansy, ginger, olive, daffodil, peony, pine, honeysuckle, clover.
Chicken, hare, duck, lamb, snake, robin
Fertility, menstruation, light, growth, development, hope.
Air.
Boil and paint eggs. Decorate your altar with hollowed, painted eggs. Bake bread. Bless your plants. Sow seeds or care for those already growing. Incorporate local traditions into your celebration ancestral roots always matter. Even simple egg sandwiches can be symbolic, as bread, butter and eggs all belong to the festival.
You may charge eggs with intentions, draw runes on them and create a small act of magic. Plant seeds in eggshells and later transplant them into the garden the shell will naturally decompose. Eggshells can also be used as candle holders by melting leftover wax.
Eggs can be dyed naturally using plants and foods.
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