Happy Easter! I always love celebrating Easter. This whole celebration of a new beginning, more light instead of darkness, and nature waking up with flowers growing and trees turning green.
Celebrating it with loved ones, making great memories and enjoying our time together. So yes, I absolutely LOVE Easter!
THE MOST FERTILE SEASON
As the winter has officially turned into spring (spring equinox, March 20), we celebrate the fact that lightness has taken over from dark. But we also celebrate just how fertile earth really is during this season. It’s THE season to plant seeds. This can be seeds for your actual garden, or seeds for your inner garden aka your mind.
This really is the perfect time to start new projects, give birth to new ideas and then to see it coming into bloom.
BUT WHERE DOES EASTER STEM FROM?
Have you ever wondered our Easter traditions actually stem from? I mean, sure we all know the Biblical part behind it with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Celebrating his resurrection or “new beginning” with loved ones over a delicious meal, or perhaps even multiple meals together.
And then there’s the odd Easter bunny and searching for eggs…
That doesn’t seem to make any sense, when you look at it purely from a Christian view. Right???
EASTER, EOSTRE, EOSTARE, OSTARA
Here’s the catch. Easter is basically the festival of Ostara. And what is Ostara? It’s a pagan holiday that is still celebrated on March 20, which is now called Spring Equinox, also known as the beginning of the Spring season.
The native pre-Christian Germanic tribes of northern Europe worshipped a goddess called Ostara. And during a 2-day fest called Ostertage, they honoured this very special goddess. She was the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility; representing new beginnings. Or better said, she actually represents LIGHT, in all possible ways. The sun rising in the east, a bright new morning, a new beginning! It is said that the goddess Ostara is responsible for bringing back spring after each winter.
One tradition that celebrated the fertility of this season, was the use of eggs. Eggs would be dyed and intentions (hopes and wishes for the coming year) would be set. After that, the eggs would be buried alongside a seedling in the ground, to sustain and feed the plant through its growing season. And as the plant grew, the hope or wish would also take root and come to fruition at the end of the year.
A gorgeous tradition of which various parts are still used to this day. Setting intentions, oh yes, got to love that! And using egg shells to fertilize your plants, which is perfect for growing your own vegetables.
BUT AS A POPULAR OSTARA MYTH GOES…
One time however, Ostara was too late…
As she was hurrying across the land, she stumbled upon a little bird that was dying from the winter cold. She couldn’t just leave it behind! Oh no, dear Ostara couldn’t do that. So she helped the dying bird, who no longer had any sensation left in its wings. Ostara then turned the bird into a hare and named it Lepus (which also means rabbit in Latin). To make sure the animal would be fully honoured as originally being a bird, Ostara gave the hare the ability to lay eggs. But only on one day of the year and the agreement was that the hare wasn’t allowed to keep the eggs; it had to give away the eggs during the Ostara fest.
So…
Whether you celebrate Ostara (Spring Equinox) on March 20 or Easter at the beginning of April, know that there are more similarities than you may think.
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Dutch