by Claire du Nord

Baskets filled with colored eggs nestled in colored grass. Cute, little fluffy chicks and bunnies. All sorts of candies and other treats. Sound familiar? It’s Ostara time, and all the stores are filled with pastel-colored items that Witches, both in and out of the Broom Closet, can include in their celebration of it! Claire du Nord here, a High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition, with the sixteenth article in our “For Broom Closet Witches” series.

Of course, you don’t have to buy things to celebrate Ostara. There are lots of possibilities for crafty “Do It Yourself” ways to make merry at Ostara time. In my opinion, neither option is better than the other, and mixing the two is perfectly fine. After all, it is your celebration!

While contemplating the season of Ostara, with its spring flowers, new life, new beginnings, etc. – the hallmarks of this Wheel of the Year Sabbat – a memory flooded my thoughts . . .

When my son was about 2 ½ to 3 years old, we were in a major department store, walking side-by-side, with me gently holding onto his little hand. His father was a little way up ahead, pushing the stroller. Suddenly, my son pulled his hand out from mine, and in a rush of panic, my immediate thought was that he was about to bolt, even though he had never done anything like that before. In that split second, as I prepared myself to chase after him, all my preconceived notions about what was happening came to a screeching halt as, to my surprise, my son reached his little hand up to a display of artificial flowers that we had approached only seconds earlier.

As I stood there watching him, my mind switching gears, he grasped a bouquet within his reach – red tulips. Then he extended them to me with the most precious look of love in his eyes and said in his little voice, “For Mama.” I almost broke down in tears right there in the middle of the store! However, as I didn’t want to startle, worry or confuse him, I controlled my emotions and thanked him profusely with hugs and adulations. I carried them until it was time to check out, and I discretely paid for them, still marveling at the profound happiness that I hadn’t anticipated experiencing that day. This is one of my most precious memories.

And here are the tulips, gracing my Ostara table – as beautiful as they were on that day, over thirty years ago…

For my Ostara table, I chose a rose-colored shawl as a tablecloth. I added white candles and an Eostre basket with colored eggs and baby chicks. I also blended up some Pimiento-Colby Jack cheese spread to go with my home-made Almond-Sunflower Seed crackers.

I also prepared some “Deviled Eggs”, although, being a Witch, I hesitated to include them, because of their name. But I told myself, “Before you pass judgement, do your research and see what the name is all about. Then you can decide whether to include them or not.” So, what I found out was that the term “deviled” goes back to ancient Rome and the word “diavolo”, which means “devil” in Italian. Eggs were typically served with spicy sauces, as a first course to elaborate meals (hot and spicy flavors being symbolically “devil-like”).

In the 18th century in other parts of the world, the term “deviled” was once again given to dishes to mean a highly seasoned or spicy food. Since “Deviled Eggs” are usually prepared with mustard and paprika, I can see how the term might fit, following the trail of meaning. Even so, I decided to include them in my Ostara celebrations after all, with plenty of mustard in the yolk mixture and a good dusting of paprika on top – not for any potential connections to “The Devil”, but rather for the nutritional components they naturally contain, namely the Phytochemicals in the Mustard the Capsaicin in the Paprika.

In the cuisines of other countries, there are many variations on the ingredients used to “stuff” the eggs, so they don’t necessarily have to be “hot and spicy”. And with the same inclination to avoid any reference to “The Devil”, there are many people who refer to them as “Stuffed Eggs” rather than “Deviled Eggs”, side-stepping altogether the historically unsavory connotations associated with the name.

I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time – Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!

Ostara Blessings,
Claire du Nord