Ostara or Spring Equinox (Approx. 21st – 22nd September, check calendar)
Corresponding with the Christian Easter (and both festivals derive their names from the Norse Fertility Goddess Eostre), Ostara is a celebration of life, and of fertility.
Symbols of the Equinox include fertile animals (hence the association in the Northern Hemisphere with the rabbit at this time of the year) and eggs – a symbol of new life and new beginnings.
Colors of the season are soft green, white, and soft yellow, and the festival is associated with Venus, the Goddess of Love. It is associated with childhood and new life, and the God and Goddess are perceived as children, personifying youth and innocence before their entry into adulthood.
Ostara is also associated with the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, and the festival of Alban Eiler (Scottish). It is one of the two annual points of equilibrium and balance.
Ostara is a time for collecting wildflowers, and baskets of flowers are traditional. Also traditional are hats and bonnets decorated with flowers and feathers – it is no coincidence that the Australian racing carnival where hats, flowers and feathers are most prized, hosted in the city of Melbourne, should fall at this time.
In Australia, the animal that is becoming increasingly associated with Ostara is the Bilby, and eggs are the traditional food at this time. For the increasing numbers of vegan and vegetarian Wiccans in Australia, vegan chocolate eggs are a necessity, and the first of the Spring flowers and fruits are brought to the altar and table.
In the Southern hemisphere, Ostara falls on the 21st and 22nd of September, and in the Northern hemisphere it falls on the 21st and 22nd of March.