OSTARA - Spring Equinox - March 20

This Sabbat is a fertility rite celebrating the birth of Spring and the reawakening of life from the earth. On this sacred day, Witches light new fires at sunrise, rejoice, ring bells and decorate hard boiled eggs - an ancient pagan custom associated with the Goddess of Fertility.

Eggs, the obvious symbols of fertility and reproduction, were used in ancient fertility rites. They were painted with various magickal symbols and then cast into fires or buried in the earth as offerings to the Goddess. In certain parts of the world, Spring Equinox eggs were painted yellow or gold (sacred solar colors) and used in rituals to honor the Sun God.

The aspects of the Goddess invoked at this Sabbat are EOSTRE (Saxon Goddess of Fertility) and OSTARA (the German Goddess of Fertility). In some Wiccan traditions, the fertility deities worshipped on this day are the GREEN GODDESS and the LORD of the GREENWOOD.

Like most of the old Pagan festivals, Spring Equinox was Christianized by the church into the religious holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Easter (which is named after the Saxon Fertility Goddess EOSTRE) was not officially given the name of the Goddess until the end of the Middle Ages.

To this day, Easter Sunday is determined by the ancient lunar calendar system which places the holiday on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or following the Vernal Spring Equinox. Formally, this marked the pregnant phase of the Triple Goddess passing into the fertile season.

Easter, like every other Christian religious holiday is rich with an abundance of Pagan overtones, customs and traditions such as Easter eggs and Easter bunny. Eggs, as previously discussed were ancient fertility symbols and offerings to the Goddess of the Pagans and Witches in both western and eastern cultures, including the Goddess Ostara, whose escort was a rabbit.

Traditional Pagan/Witchy foods of the Spring Equinox Sabbat are hard boiled eggs, honey cakes, the first fruits of the season, and milk punch.

Sources of information include (1)"Power of the Witch" By Laurie Cabot and
(2)"To Ride A Silver Broomstick" By Silver RavenWolf