Seed planting
Plant seeds on the equinox.
- Fill a pot or a bed with soil.
- Plant seeds you can grow in your climate and name what you hope for.
- Water them and keep a note of when they sprout.
Wheel of the Year · solstice or equinox
Ostara
The spring equinox, when day and night are in balance.
- Northern Hemisphere
- about 20 March Next: 20 March 2027, the equinox falls at about 20:25 UTC
- Southern Hemisphere
- about 22 September Next: 23 September 2027, the equinox falls at about 06:02 UTC
History and names
The name comes from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess known from a single source. Bede, writing in the eighth century, says the English month Eosturmonath was named after her. The nineteenth-century scholar Jacob Grimm argued for a Germanic goddess Ostara, and modern pagans adopted the name for the spring equinox in the twentieth century.
Many writers link eggs and hares to Eostre, but the evidence for that is thin. These customs are better understood as later spring folk traditions.
Also known as
- Eostre
- Spring equinox
- Alban Eilir (modern Druidry)
Customs
Common customs are colouring eggs, planting seeds, tidying the home and garden, and reflecting on balance, since day and night are roughly equal. It is a good time to start something new.
Practices
Balance of light and dark
A short reflection when day and night are equal.
- Write two columns, one headed light and one headed dark.
- List the things that bring you energy and the things that bring you rest.
- Choose one change that would balance your week.