Eostre and the Easter Bunny

© 2003, Sonia Jensen

Many many years ago, during the time of dragons and castles, there was a beautiful Goddess named Eostre (pronounced Ee-ost-ray). The Goddess had long thick hair the colour of golden wheat, and her eyes were as blue as the sky above. Eostre was the Goddess of Spring, and it was her job to make sure that the Earth awakened from its winter sleep.

During Spring the world came alive. Birds would chirp from the trees as they built nests for the little eggs that would soon hatch into baby birds. Butterflies came out of their cocoons wearing wings of gorgeous colours. All the mother animals of the world gave birth to babies, and beautiful flowers opened their petals. Spring was a time of new beginnings. It was a time to celebrate.
Every year, on the first day of Spring, Eostre held a huge Spring Festival in the meadow. Animals and children from all over the world would attend and bring gifts for the Goddess of Spring to show how happy they were with the fresh new season.

One year, on the day before the festival, the hare wanted to give Eostre a gift. But the hare had nothing that would be fit for a Goddess. The hare was very poor and he had a hard enough time feeding himself, never mind giving a gift to someone.

That day while searching through the forest for some food, the hare found a fresh egg in the grass. He was very hungry and sat down to enjoy his found lunch. He was about to crack open the egg when he suddenly stopped.

"This egg would make a nice gift for Eostre," he thought to himself. "An egg symbolizes birth and Spring. Yes, a very nice gift indeed." So the hare hopped home to decorate the egg.

The next day the hare went to the meadow and hopped up to the Goddess. He shyly presented her with his gift. Eostre took one look at the egg and gave the hare a huge smile. It was a beautiful egg. The hare had painted the egg with lovely designs coloured from the dyes of roses, buttercups and other plants. He had then sealed the egg with beeswax so that it would be shiny.

The Goddess was so happy with the gift that she wanted everyone to have one and share her joy. Eostre knew that the hare was very poor and to give her the egg was a very unselfish act. He could have eaten it and had his belly filled. Eostre decided to reward the hare.
That day, the Goddess of Spring told the hare that he could come and live in her castle. He would have only one job, and that would be to deliver a decorated egg to children around the world, for Eostre loved children. Children symbolized birth and innocence. The eggs would be delivered on the eve of the Spring Festival, so that the children would wake up and find them in the morning.

And so every year, Eostre's bunny (for a hare is a type of rabbit) and his descendants would deliver eggs to the children. Today we call the hare the Easter Bunny, because the Sunday after the first full moon of the Spring Equinox is Easter Sunday, a Christian celebration. Besides, Easter egg is a lot easier to say than Eostre egg.

The End

Ostara Poems Too

Wings

Come bright butterfly, close to me.
Your beautiful wings I should like to see.
You fly like a bird; you sip like a bee.
But you're really a flower the wind set free.


Winter’s End

Busy gnomes chip away
At the winter's hard ground,
So that bulbs may burst forth
And spring's beauty abound.

In the woods, damp and dark,
They must labor below.
Crooked roots and cold stones,
Pushing stalks through the snow.

Undines melt snow until
Water can flow again.
Filling the leaves growing
Green with spring rain.

Sylphs, they are dreaming
Of winds softly streaming
Through petals all yellow
And purple and blue.


Spring Shower

Rain is falling from the sky     (flutter fingers down)
Lightening flashes! Hide your eyes!     (cover eyes with hands)
Thunder rumbles in the clouds.     (drum hands on thighs)
Sometimes it is very loud.     (cover ears with hands)
When the storm is over
and puddles remain,     (shape arms into a circle)
It’s time to take off my shoes again.     (pretend to take off shoes)


Waking of Spring

When woods awake and trees are green
And leaves are large and long,
'Tis merry to walk in the forest fair
And hear the small birds' song.

We are the sunshine fairies
And with our sparks of light
We shimmer and glimmer in the air
Hugging flowers with colors so bright.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

I hope you enjoy these poems as they are some of my favorite for this time of the year.  Sorry that I do not recall the authors to these poems.

Poems for Ostara

Decorating Eggs

I take an egg
All shiny white
And then I dip
It out of sight.

I leave it there
Within the cup
Then after a minute
I pick it up.

And oh!
It's a lovely
Shade of green!
The prettiest Ostara egg
I've ever seen.

********************

Bunnies are brown
Bunnies are white
Bunnies are always
An Ostara delight.

Bunnies are cuddly
The large and the small.
But I like chocolate ones
The best of them all.

********************

I Had an Ostara Bunny

I had an Ostara bunny,
One day she ran away.
I looked for her by moonlight.
I looked for her by day.
I found her in the meadow
With her babies 1, 2, 3.
So now I have four rabbit pets
To run and jump with me.

********************

Ostara Bunny
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Ostara bunny, soft and white
Hopping quickly out of sight.
Thank you for the eggs you bring
At Ostara we welcome spring.
Ostara Bunny, soft and white
Hopping quickly out of sight.

********************

Flowers
(Sung to the tune of “Pop! Goes the Weasel”)

All around the forest ground
There’s flowers everywhere.
There’s pink, yellow, and purple too.
Here’s one for you!

Garden Blessing

The earth is cool and dark,
and far below, new life begins.
May the soil be blessed with fertility and abundance,
with rains of life-giving water,
with the heat of the sun,
with the energy of the raw earth.
May the soil be blessed
as the womb of the land becomes full and fruitful
to bring forth the garden anew.
 
by: Patti Wigington

The Root Children & Crafts of the Seasons

I have been searching the web for over an hour to find this little wooden figurine of one of the root children.  Along the way, I came across several great tutorials on how to make a simple doll for both boys and girls.

the last site listed has the photo of the figurine I have been hunting for.  It is perfect.  I hope my book, When the Root Children Wake, comes in soon.  I know it is already on the way.

Since I was unable to get it together for Ostara I will more than likely re-celebrate Ostara on Easter with the addition of the book, doll, and Ostara Tradition Eggs.  Should be fun!

making your own root child

directions for making a waldorph doll

rag doll pattern

how to make wet felted eggs: this site also has a picture of a wood carved root child... simple and beautiful

Ostara Egg Traditions

image from here

1. picture of earth in equal light and darkness
Today is the spring equinox. An equinox is when the length of the day and night are the same… equal. Because of the equinoxes, we have seasons.

2. root children: picture or figurine of a fairy, elf or small child
On the Spring equinox, the root children come out to play again. They know it is time for change.

3. small yellow or orange bouncy ball: represents the sun
The days will begin to get warmer during the springtime and…

4. seed: representing the growing plants
With this new warmth, plants will begin to emerge from their underground beds and reach toward the sun with great joy.

5. small plastic animal: represents the birth of new animals
Baby animals will begin to be born as well.

6. a little homemade broom: clearing out old habits and replacing them with good ones
Today is a wonderful day to start new habits. Think about some things you need to change. How do you think you can make this change happen?

Take turns using a broom to sweep the floors in your house, the porches and sidewalks. While sweeping be sure to think about how you can make the needed changes and picture the old habits being swept away.

7. a small bird or bunny: the legend of the bunny and egg
Eostre was walking one fine Spring day and came upon a beautiful little bird. The poor bird's wing was badly injured and Eostre, feeling great compassion for the little creature, wanted to heal it. But the little bird' wing was so badly damaged that Eostre knew it would never be able to fly again even after She healed it. So, Eostre decided to help the bird by healing it in a way that would give it mobility and a little something more… She turned it into a rabbit!

8. an egg: the legend of the bunny and egg
During the transformation, the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. The rabbit was so grateful to Eostre for saving its life that it laid a sacred egg in Her honor, joyously decorated it and then humbly presented it to the Goddess. She was so pleased and so touched by the rabbit's thoughtful gift that She wished all humankind to share in her joy. In honoring her wishes, the rabbit went all over the world distributing these beautifully decorated little gifts of life and continues to do so even today.

9. empty egg
Spring is a time of change and rebirth. What are some goals for your family? Take a moment and write them down. Have a grown up go and bury the paper in your garden. Say… Mother Earth I pass these heart desires on to you so you can guide my family in making our dreams come true. Draw a star in the Earth. Blessed Be.

This is as good as it gets with only a day to go.  Change as you see fit. 

Please share any changes you have made as I know there is alot of room for improvement.

Hot Cross Buns

recipe from Pagan Dad

INGREDIENTS...

• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 5 cup flour
• 1 1/3 cup currants or raisins
• 1 egg white

GLAZE

•  1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar 
• 1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped lemon zest 
• 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1-2 Tbsp milk

DIRECTIONS...

**This may be difficult for younger children to do themselves, but they'll enjoy helping to mix and measure the ingredients, helping to knead the dough, forming the dough into balls and adding the glaze.**

1.  In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot (110°F if using a candy thermometer). Pour warm milk in a bowl and sprinkle yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.

2.  Stirring constantly, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually mix in flour, dough will be wet and sticky. Continue kneading until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough "rest" for 30-45 minutes.

3.  Knead again until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.

4.  Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan (or pans) with parchment paper (you could also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better). Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

5.  In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 400° F.

6.  When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm, if possible.

Bunny Biscuits

During my search for more Ostara recipes, I came across this simple idea for  Bunny Biscuits.  Unfortunately, I do not remember the site I found it on.

Directions:

1.  Make biscuits with your favorite recipe or open a can of store bought biscuits.
2.  Roll out the dough if needed and cut into circle shaped biscuits.
3.  Two biscuits make a bunny head. Leave one biscuit in a circle.  Cut the other one in half and flip each half over. Stick to top of  bunny head by pinching the two ears onto the head.  This should seal each ear in place.
4.  Cook according to package directions.

Note:  If you would like to make a face on your bunny, consider the following.  I am making this up as I have not made these yet, but in theory it will work.

Add 3 chocolate chips onto the circle biscuit.  place in the appropriate location to make the eyes and nose.  I am wondering if a Hershey's kiss would be to big for the nose... worth a shot I think.

Add thin slices of licorice for the whiskers or use stick pretzels press into the biscuit once it is cooked.

Use pink frosting of colored food gel to draw the inside of the ears and add a mouth or tongue.  This part would seem to be optional as the additions above would already have the biscuits looking pretty bunnyish.

This sounds like so much fun.  I think we will definitely do this on Ostara.  I'll post pictures and let you know how it goes.

Legend of the Easter Bunny

Taken in its entirety from the mystic moon coven

The modern belief that eggs are delivered by a rabbit, comes from the legend of the Goddess Eostre. Eostre was walking one fine Spring day and came upon a beautiful little bird. The poor bird's wing was badly injured and Eostre, feeling great compassion for the little creature, wanted to heal it. But the little bird' wing was so badly damaged that Eostre knew it would never be able to fly again even after She healed it. So, Eostre decided to help the bird by healing it in a way that would give it mobility and a little something more… She turned it into a rabbit!


During the transformation, the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. The rabbit was so grateful to Eostre for saving its life that it laid a sacred egg in Her honor, joyously decorated it and then humbly presented it to the Goddess. She was so pleased and so touched by the rabbit's thoughtful gift that She wished all humankind to share in her joy. In honoring her wishes, the rabbit went all over the world distributing these beautifully decorated little gifts of life and continues to do so even today.

Ostara Crafts for Kids and Grown Ups

image from Family Fun

Nature Basket: 
an alternative to the traditional egg basket... great for any nature loving kiddo

Toy Basket: 
stop giving out as much candy and have a little toy collection fun... I think it would be really great to make several of the toys yourself.

Pop-up Eggs:
3D egg made from accordion folded paper

Herd of Eggimals:
reuse your plastic eggs to make a wonderful of wee friends to play with

Barnyard Cuties:
create 3 barnyard friends (lamb, bunny, and piglet) and get ready to play

Cool Crayon Colored Eggs:
color warm hard boiled eggs with crayons for some bright cheery, fun

Fledgling Friends:
yarn wrapping never looked so cute... a simple wrapping technique and few other supplies and you can make some super cute feathered friends

Lots of Dots:
make some really cool dotted eggs... simple enough for even the youngest artist with a grown up nearby for help

All of the above projects are from Family Fun.

Sunshine Eggs

AKA... deviled eggs. 

I forget where I heard them called Sunshine Eggs, but the author's reason for changing the name made perfect sense.  Why call them deviled eggs when we do not believe in the devil?  The beautiful color of the yoke looks just like the sun on a crisp, clear day... thus, Sunshine Eggs was born.

Ingredients...

• dozen boiled eggs
• garlic salt
• pepper
• paprika
• mustard
• mayo
• sweet relish

Directions...

1.  Carefully remove the shell from all of the boiled eggs.

2.  Rinse eggs and pat dry with a cloth.

3.  Cut each egg in half length wise.

4.  Scoop all egg yokes out of the eggs and place them in a medium sized bowl.  Place empty egg whites face up on a serving platter.

5.  Using the back of a fork, smash eggs into a fine powder.

6.  Sprinkle all spices onto the yokes.  Mix well.

7.  Add a couple of Tablespoons of relish.  You can use dill relish if you do not like sweet Sunshine Eggs.  Mix well.

8.  Add 2-3 TBS. of mayo... I use miracle whip for the sweetness.  Mix well.

9.  Add 2-3 squirts of mustard.  If you like a hint of spice, use dijon mustard instead.  Mix well.

10.  Scoop a large spoonful of yoke into each egg.  Sprinkle with paprika for color.

11.  Place finished eggs in the fridge for several hours to chill.

Ostara Blessings and Chants

Spring Fertility Chant
by: Jennifer Reif

Mother and father of all growing things
Unto my being your golden love bring
Bless this seed to fulfill its design
Of leaf and fruit, of blossom and vine


Welcome, welcome, warm fresh earth!
Today we celebrate rebirth!
Blowing wind, rising sun,
Bringing the spring to everyone!
Rabbits hopping, chicks in the nest,
Spring is the season we love the best!
Celebrate the green of the earth with me -
Happy Ostara, and blessed be!
~Patti Wigington
 
 
The earth is cool and dark,
and far below, new life begins.
May the soil be blessed with fertility and abundance,
with rains of life-giving water,
with the heat of the sun,
with the energy of the raw earth.
May the soil be blessed
as the womb of the land becomes full and fruitful
to bring forth the garden anew.
~Patti Wigington

Ostara Children Books

I stumbled upon the top four books while looking for Ostara activities for kids.

I thought this was the perfect time to look up a few others and share with you.  You could put them on hold at the local library to read between now and the Sabbat.

Books to Consider...
The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth

Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring
 
Caterpillar Spring, Butterfly Summer
 
A Kid's Spring Eco-journal: With Nature Activities for Exploring the Season
 
It's Spring by Linda Glaser
 
? How Robin Saved Spring
 
? Flower Fairies of the Spring
 
~ Fancy Nancy's Elegant Easter
 
~ The Easter Egg
 
** The Biggest Best Easter Basket Ever
 
~ The Queen of Easter
 
** The Butterfly House
 
** Charlie the Caterpillar  
 

__________________________________

 
**means I have read the book or recommend it
~ know the author has wonderful stories

? looked really good... I want to read them.

Ostara Magazine for Kids

Lora Craig-Gaddis has done it again.  I highly recommend anyone with young children to check out her 2009 Pooka Pages Magazine for Ostara.

This issue contains

• various stories... including one that it is rebus story even the youngest of children can follow
• luna cookies and moon milk recipes
• handmade drum, maracasas, and tamborine crafts
• coloring pages
• book reviews.

You name it and she has put it into this fun issue of Pooka Pages.

Pooka by the way is a real cat.  I have his autogroph in my Yule book by Lora.