Ostara, Oestra, Eostre or, in fact, Holy Week. Call it what you will, it’s time for the spring equinox, and the fun that follows! Ostara is actually a pagan festival and was gleefully anticipated as it marks the end of the gloomy winter months and heralds warmer days and clearer nights. It meant the land would once again be plentiful, the calving season was in full swing, and the bleak winter months were coming to an end. So what is the traditional way to celebrate Ostara? Here are 10 tips and facts!

1) The Goddess Ostara lends her name to this festival. She represents fertility, renewal and the balance between day and night.

2) The eggs were painted and carried by the children, a tradition we maintain they were eaten (if they were cooked!) at the end of the day.

3) It was the hare, and not the rabbit, that was represented as a symbol of fertility due to its prolific mating in spring.

4) Yellow and green are the traditional colors of Ostara. Daffodils display them beautifully and are used to decorate Wiccan altars or simply carried around at festivals. Otherwise, yellow and green candles are perfect.

5) Cooking and lively parties were a popular part of all pagan festivals and Ostara is no exception. As mentioned above, eggs were important ingredients, but so were herbs like thyme and mint.

6) This is also a time to plant seeds and begin a glorious time of growth. Herbs are popular now that fewer of us are farmers by profession! Since it still rains quite a bit right now, it really helps to build up the earth’s energies if you water your seeds with collected rainwater, especially if they’re indoors.

7) Ostara is a lunar festival and the full moon brings powers of intuition, creativity and protection. Witchcraft or Wiccan spells cast during this time will generally have to go through a full moon phase before gaining results.

8) The symbolism of Ostara is renewal and regeneration. So emotionally, it’s a time to put the past behind you and just focus on the road ahead. It is a time to make plans and adopt a positive frame of mind. And if you really feel good about accepting the change, you can also do some general cleaning!

9) Walking is also very popular at this time of year. It brings with it an appreciation of changes in the landscape and brings the simple joy of being able to be outside after the winter lockdown.

10) In the northern hemisphere, Ostara is celebrated between March 20 and 22 and varies each year as it is a lunar festival. For those in the southern hemisphere, it is September 20-22.