OSTARA - is celebrated at the SPRING EQUINOX, on or about March 21. When day and night, light and dark, are equal, a good calendar or almanac can give you the exact date. Like Imbolc, It also is a Festival of the dawn and of increasing life. From now on the daylight will be greater than the darkness. Ostara comes from the Germanic word �Ost� or �East,� a reference to the dawn. Ostara is a Solar Sabbat and is sacred to the Young God, particularly as the Green Man. Ostara is also sacred to the Maiden Goddess. Ostara and Eostre are both Germanic names for the Maiden Goddess as the Lady of the Dawn.
Ostara is also known as Eoster (pro; �EH-yoh-ster�, �eh-OH-ster� or �YOH-ster�), Alban Eilir (AL-bahn EYE-lir), and Lady�s Day, or simply as Spring.
This is the time when Persephone returns from the underworld to bring new life to the land.
This Sabbat is about balance and spring. Time for getting rid of the old, the out worn and bring in the new.
Colors - Yellows and Light Greens. All Pastels, Robin's Egg Blue
Symbols -Eggs, New Moon, Butterflies/Cocoons, and the Hare.
Herbs and Plants - Crocus, Daffodil, Jasmine, Irish moss, Snowdrop, Ginger
Stones -Aquamarine, Rose Quartz, Moonstone.
Foods - seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts, leafy, green vegetables, lamb, a young fruity red wine, Fruit wines and beers
Deities - Youthful God and Goddess, the Greenman
Traditional activities - planting seeds, Dying Eggs, working with gardens and herbs, herb work, artistic work.
Recipe
Honey Cake
21/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
21/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 Eggs, beaten
11/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 Safflower oil
1 cup raw honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flower a 9x13 baking pan. Combine all ingredients well, pour into the pan, and bake for 45 minutes.
This cake is traditionally served unfrosted, but you can make a frosting with:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
11/4 cups unsweetened orange juice.
Mix together, and drizzle on top of cake.
Honey Cake was taken from
Edain McCoy's book "The Sabbats- A New Approach to Living the Old Ways"
