As Spring approaches, we feel our souls awakening. The cold in which our hearts hibernated during the Winter is melting away and making room for growth and new life. As pagans and witches, we celebrate the seasons. We celebrate the Spring Equinox, also called Ostara, with feasting, ritual, spells and more. And, in my humble opinion, the simplest and quickest way to get into the Spring mood is by decorating and refreshing our altars. Here we provide our fellow pagans and witches with ideas for Ostara decorations and tips to adorn your Ostara altar.

Quickly, What is Ostara?

If you’re here, you likely already know what Ostara is. BUT if not, we’ll try to break it down for you briefly. Ostara is one of the sabbats (pagan holidays) on the traditional Wheel of the Year, and one that is celebrated by Wiccans and many witches and pagans. Not every pagan celebrates Ostara, but many do. And if they don’t celebrate Ostara, you may hear them call it simply the Spring or Vernal Equinox. This is the official start to the Spring season, and also the equinox which means the day is equal in length of time to the night. As you might guess, balance is a big theme on the Spring Equinox. As is celebrating the Spring season and all of the beauty that comes along with it.

The great thing about celebrating this sabbat, particularly with Ostara decorations and an altar, is that most of the mainstream Easter decorations will work for this sabbat too. Why? Well, the church Christianized the Germanic Spring holiday called Ostara and made it the day when their god Jesus rose from the dead. The name for the Christian holiday Easter actually derives from the same root as Ostara…and likely was the name of an ancient Germanic goddess. Her name was Eostre. You’ll see lots of bunny rabbits, eggs, birds, and Spring colors in Ostara decorations and on Ostara altars. And you’ll see these same symbols used in the Christians’ Easter holiday décor. Technically, it was pagan first.

Before the Ostara Decorations…Declutter, Clean and Purify

You know that little ritual we call SPRING Cleaning? Yeah. It’s kind of a big deal and one that should be an important part of your Spring season rituals. The idea of cleaning your home after the Winter season is practical but it’s also magical in nature. We spend most of our time indoors during the Winter season, with the windows and doors shut tight. Therefore, our homes accumulate more dirt, debris, and even germs. By decluttering and then thoroughly Spring cleaning our homes, we’re removing the funk that’s built up over the Winter season. In addition, we’re shaking up the stagnant energy, removing negative energy to make way for fresh, positive energy in the Spring.

After you’ve gone through your closets, pantries, cupboards, and vanities, and donated what you no longer need or use, clean your home top to bottom. I’m talking washing the curtains, cleaning the windows and doors, dusting the light fixtures, sweeping out the garage, and organizing everything. It sounds like a huge task, but typically people do these chores over a week or two in spurts. Don’t forget to open the windows on a nice, breezy Spring day to let the fresh air flow in. And after you’ve done all that, purify your space with a smoke-cleansing ritual, simmer pot on the stove, or by whatever means you feel is best for your space.

I enjoy diffusing essential oils in the Spring that remind me of the Ostara season like lavender, rose, ylang ylang, jasmine, lemongrass and eucalyptus. In addition, I almost always make an Ostara floor sweep and front door wash to welcome new energy in. My floor sweep consists of Himalayan pink salt, lavender buds, rosemary and rose petals. All you do is mix these ingredients together, spread them across your hard floors, let them sit and then sweep them up. A front door wash is as easy as simmering herbs on the stove, allowing the infusion to cool, then wiping down your front door with intentions of cleansing and inviting in positivity.

Ideas for FUN, Spring Ostara Decorations

Now for the REALLY fun part…the decorating! As mentioned before, finding appropriate and festive Ostara decorations is as simple as looking at your local stores’ Easter decorations. Easter is the mainstream Christian holiday that was once Ostara and so many of the symbols have crossed over including:

• Rabbits
• Baby animals
• Birds
• Bird nests
• Eggs and egg baskets
• Blooming Flowers and buds
• Carrots and spring onion
• Greenery of all kinds including vines and grasses
• The color green and pastel colors like pink, yellow, and blue; as well as white
• Suns and sunbeams

Browse Our Ostara Decoration Slideshow for Ideas:

7 Ways to Decorate Your Home for Ostara

We understand the symbols and colors, so how do we incorporate these Ostara decorations into our own homes and sacred spaces? Truly how you decorate and how much you decorate your own space is up to you. My grandmother has always decorated for the Spring season, just as much as she decorates for the Winter holidays. Which has inspired me to embellish my own home with Ostara decorations annually. Why not celebrate the return of the Earth at the Spring Equinox, just as much as we celebrate the birth of the Sun at Yule?

1. Painted Eggs

Since the egg is essentially THE symbol of Spring, this is an obvious Ostara decoration. You can paint eggs in the traditional Easter style, with hardboiled eggs and a paint kit. OR consider purchasing wooden eggs to hand-paint (if you’re feeling particularly artsy). This is a fun activity to do with the kids and carries over from Easter traditions with ease. Once they’ve been painted, place them around your home in baskets, pretty glass bowls, etc.

2. Decorate the Ostara Tree

There’s a tradition in Germany that’s been around for centuries. And likely stems from Germanic pagan Spring festivals of the past. And that is the Easter Tree. Or what we prefer to call the Ostara tree. It’s what you might imagine as the Spring version of the Christmas tree. You can purchase a small, faux birch tree or Easter tree from the store and decorate it by hanging eggs and ribbons. Some folks even put rabbit ornaments and other symbols of Spring like birds nests in their Ostara tree. This is another fun tradition that carries over from mainstream Easter. OR decorate an actual tree in your yard!

3. Spring Wreaths and Garlands

Spring wreaths are a festive way to decorate for Ostara. Purchase wreaths with pretty flowers or eggs from your nearest craft or home store. Then hang on your front door to welcome in all the good seasonal vibes. You can even imbue your wreath with intentions of happiness, fertility, creativity, positivity and more. At the same time, floral garlands add a pop of color to any collection of Ostara decorations for the home. I find these at Michael’s for affordable prices (and if you wait until after Easter, you’ll get them discounted for next year’s Ostara!)

4. Ostara Decorative Centerpiece

If you plan to have an Ostara dinner, or you just enjoy having a pretty dining experience, make a decorative Ostara centerpiece. There’s plenty of tutorials on Pinterest, but consider using some of these items to craft this dinner table Ostara decoration:

• Hurricane glass
• Large pillar candle: white, light green, blue or other pastel colors
• Add faux grass, bunny figurines, and eggs
• Ribbons in Ostara colors tied around the hurricane glass/candles

5. Fresh Flowers Everywhere!

I honestly think the best part about Ostara and the Spring season is the flowers! And it’s probably the easiest way to bring the Equinox vibes into any space. Simple vases with fresh flowers or mason jars with faux bouquets work well in the kitchen, living room, even in the bedrooms. They’re also pretty on the Ostara altar and as offering to the Spring gods and goddesses.

6. Vines and Greenery

Similar to stringing garland around the home, adding a touch of decorative vines and greenery around the home and Ostara altar is an easy and cheap option. Vines can literally be hung anywhere: over windows, doorframes, around tables, etc. And faux greenery can be used in the same way as fresh flowers – throughout the house to add a pop of earthy Spring color.

7. Eostre and the Green Man

There are certain gods and goddesses that come alive with the Spring season. One, in particular, has her name all over the Ostara sabbat…Eostre. Another deity closely linked to Ostara is the Green Man. An easy way to bring a pagan element into your Ostara decorating is by hanging pictures and artwork representing these Spring gods around your home and altar. If you can find statues or figurines, this is another great way to invoke their earthy energy.

FESTIVE Ostara Altar Decorations and Tips

One of my favorite rituals for Spring Equinox is to clean, cleanse and refresh my altar space. Typically it’s still set up for Winter at this point and needs to be dusted, decluttered, and redecorated for Ostara. If you’re like me, you might be maintaining multiple altars, so consider refreshing all of them at the same time. I enjoy putting on music, opening the windows, and getting into a ritual state of mind for this.

After removing all of my items from my altar, I then dust and clean my altar surface. Then each item one by one. Then I cleanse the altar with smoke or blessed moon water. Following, I redecorate my Ostara altar using some of these decorative ideas:

1. Ostara Altar Cloth

An easy way to shift the vibe on your altar and make it Springy is by adding an Ostara altar cloth. This can be as simple as a table-runner or tablecloth in Spring colors or patterns. Spring time tablecloths can even be purchased from your local dollar store.

2. Bunny Figurines

Next, add a bunny figurine or two to your altar to represent nature, Eostre, fertility, and the Spring season in general. Go to your local dollar store, craft store, or even department store and they’re filled with rabbits. Trust me.

3. Ostara Herbs and Crystals

A simple way to decorate for Ostara on your altar is by adding crystals in Spring-time colors and crystals that represent the sabbat. Rose quartz, amazonite, selenite, and moss agate are all perfect for the Ostara altar. Mix a couple Ostara herbs in your mortar and pestle and add it to a dish or cup on your altar as decoration or as offering to the Spring gods and spirits.

4. Fairies on the Ostara Altar

The fae and elementals are always around, but they really come alive at the Spring Equinox in my experience. Working with fairies isn’t for everyone, but for those who are drawn to the idea, place some fairy figurines and images on your Ostara altar. This helps draw in that fae energy and is just plain fun for the Ostara season. Pictures and artwork of fairies works well too.