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| Eostar is the celebration of the Vernal Equinox. When it's possible, I like to celebrate this Sabbat on the actual day of the Equinox. There is some Mother (full) Moon lore associated with Eostar, so observing this holiday on the nearest Esbat may be more appropriate. |
| Eostar is a day of promise. New young plants are sprouting, baby chicks are being hatched and the world is waking up! |
| Eostre is Teutonic lunar Goddess who's name we honor at this Sabbat. Other cultures have used similar names for Goddess including Ishtar & Astarte. The word East comes from the same root. |
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| Bunnies! |
| The ancient Teutonic (and Aztec) people saw the shadow of a rabbit or hare on the Mother Moon. Bunnies also invoke powerful images of fertility ("those two f*** like rabbits!"). |
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| Eggs! |
| The custom of coloring eggs has been around for a long time. Eggs can be colored and offered to Goddess for a fertile and abundant year. Once they are decorated you can bury the eggs in your garden. |
| Also within an hour or so of the exact time of the Equinox you can balance an egg on it's fat end. This is kind of a cool thing to do with children, it illustrates the harmony associated with this Sabbat. |
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| Candy! |
| Okay, I don't know of any folk lore that involves chocolate on Eostar, but any excuse to eat candy is good enough for me! |
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| Baskets! |
| Come on! You need a place to put all that candy! |
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| Ham! |
| Before humans had refrigerators (I know it's hard to believe!) two of the best ways of preserving meat were salting and smoking. Our Pagan ancestors would use both of these techniques to get them through the winter. When Eostar finally arrived, people would celebrate by feasting on the salted and smoked hams that they no longer needed to save and would probably spoil with the warmer weather. |
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| Flowers! |
| Spring is here! Flowers are proof that life has returned and the winter is over. |
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