Get the look: your perfect Ostara & Beltane outfits

Ostara, Beltane and Walpurgis Night are some of the most important and beautiful pagan holidays. Both the Slavic, Viking, Germanic and Celtic tribes celebrated this festival. It marks the beginning of the spring equinox which signifies life, fertility, and love. Both of the land and of people and animals. The spring festival of the goddess Ēostre (or similar goddesses) was revered by the Germanic, Celtic and Slavic peoples. The festival dates back to the time of our Indo-European ancestors and is celebrated both in Europe and in Asia, where the Indo-European culture settled. 

In this blog, we delve into the origins of this pagan festival, provide some tips on how to celebrate it, and compile the best corresponding outfit.

Scholars have not only linked the name of the goddess Ēostre to a range of Germanic personal and place names, but also discovered more than 150 inscriptions from the 2nd century AD referring to the matronae Austriahenae, goddesses with related names worshipped on the European continent. This leads to a complex linguistic reconstruction, where the origin of Ēostre can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European goddess of dawn, *H₂ewsṓs. The traces of her name and influence extend across the Germanic linguistic landscape, from Old English to Old High German. There are theories circulating that associate Ēostre with Easter traditions among the Germans, such as hares and eggs. The debate among scholars about the origin of this goddess has gained some attention. Especially before the revelation of the matronae Austriahenae and new insights in Indo-European studies.

The names Ēastre (Old English) and Ôstara (Old High German) are linguistic cognates, originating from a common source. They are derived from the Proto-Germanic *Austrō(n), itself originating from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *h₂ews-reh₂ (comparable to Lithuanian auš(t)rà, meaning 'dawn, morning light'), derived from the PIE root *h₂ews-, meaning 'to shine, glow (red)'. The modern English word "east" also comes from this root, via the Proto-Germanic adverb *aust(e)raz ('east, in an eastern direction'), from an earlier PIE *h₂ews-tero- ('east, toward the dawn'). 

According to linguist Guus Kroonen, the Germanic and Baltic languages replaced the ancient formation *h₂éws-os, the name of the PIE dawn goddess, with a form containing *-reh₂-, also found in the Lithuanian deity Aušrinė. In Anglo-Saxon England, her spring festival gave its name to a month (Northumbrian: Ēosturmōnaþ, West Saxon: Eastermonað), which roughly corresponds to April, and later to the Christian festival of Easter that replaced it. In southern medieval Germany, the festival Ôstarûn similarly gave its name to the month Ôstarmânôth, and to the modern festival of Ostern ('Easter'), suggesting that a goddess named *Ôstara was also worshipped there. The name of the month survived in 18th-century German as Ostermonat. An Old Saxon equivalent of the spring goddess named *Āsteron can also be reconstructed from the term asteronhus, which most scholars translate as 'Easter house', paralleling the medieval Flemish Paeshuys ('Easter house').  The Frankish historian Einhard also writes in his Vita Karoli Magni (early 9th century AD) that after Charlemagne defeated the continental Saxons and converted them to Christianity, he gave Germanic names to the Latin months of the year, including the Easter month Ostarmanoth. 

Therefore, the Old English Ēastre is distantly related to numerous other dawn goddesses found among Indo-European speakers, such as Uṣās, Ēṓss, and Aurōra. In the words of the Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, the presence of a Proto-Indo-European goddess of dawn is supported by both related names and the similarity of the mythical representation of the dawn goddess among various Indo-European groups. In Ireland, Britida the goddess of spring is associated with the Beltane fire ritual. Her name comes from the Proto-Celtic Briganti, which is related to the Sanskrit Brhati, meaning 'high'. 

All this evidence allows us to hypothesize a Proto-Indo-European *h a éusōs 'goddess of the dawn', characterized as a 'reluctant' bringer of light for which she is punished. With the presence of similar figures in European, Baltic, Greek, and Indo-Iranian cultures, such as in Latin Aurora, Greek EOS, and Vedic Ushas in India. This gives the existence of a Proto-Indo-European 'goddess of the dawn' additional linguistic support as she is described as the 'daughter of the sky'.

Researchers have connected the goddess's name with various Germanic personal names, a range of location names (toponyms) in England, and more than 150 inscriptions from the 2nd-3rd century CE referring to the matronae Austriahenae, discovered in 1958.

In 1958, more than 150 Roman-Germanic votive inscriptions for the matronae Austriahenae, a trio of goddesses, were discovered near Morken-Harff, Germany. They date from around 150-250 CE. Most of these inscriptions are incomplete, but many are still reasonably legible. Some of these inscriptions refer to the Austriates. The name of these goddesses is certainly derived from the stem austri-, which, if Germanic, would be related to the Old English Eostre, although the goddesses could just as well have developed entirely independently.

The Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April was Ēosturmōnaþ ('Ēostre's month'). In chapter 15 (De mensibus Anglorum, 'The English months') of his work De temporum ratione ('The Reckoning of Time') from the 8th century, Bede describes

With so many Indo-European goddesses of dawn, one would expect that there exists a goddess of dawn in Scandinavian culture. But so far we have been unable to establish linguistic connections.

However, scholars expect that the goddess Freya fulfills the role of Ostara in Scandinavia. Freya means lady. This suggests that she actually had another name that we no longer know today. She is known to be sexually attractive. She is accused of having had sex with multiple partners and her attribute is her necklace 'Brísingamen'. Both Eos and Arora were beautiful and had various lovers. 

In many Indo-European traditions, the goddess of dawn is associated with the gods of the horse twins. The Baltic goddess Saule is often pulled forward by the twins. Georges Dumézil suggests that in Norse mythology the horse twins transformed into Freyr and Njördr. And Freyr'ss twin sister is Freya, which also connects her to the horse twins. 

Many goddesses of dawn are also associated with gold and treasures. They also have tears of gold and amber. Freya cries tears of gold because she misses her husband. 

The connection between the goddess Ēostre and hares was noted by scholars such as Adolf Holtzmann and Charles Isaac Elton, who speculated that hares might have been sacred animals of Ēostre. Charles J. Billson described various folk customs surrounding hares during the Easter season in Northern Europe, suggesting that the sacredness of hares might date back to prehistoric spring festivals. A modern legend emerged in which Ēostre transformed a bird into an egg-laying hare, according to speculations by Holtzmann. In the 18th century, the Easter bunny was first mentioned in Southwest Germany, but did not become known elsewhere in Germany until the 18th century. Richard Sermon suggests that hares might have been the origin of hiding colored eggs in gardens, while a European tradition suggested that hares laid eggs themselves due to similarities between hare scrapes and lapwing nests. The popularity of the Easter bunny spread throughout Europe thanks to Easter cards, toys and books, and was eventually exported to Britain and America by German immigrants.

We can assume that the goddess of the dawn, like Freya, is associated with sexuality and spring. This allows us to place the ancient Germanic and English of origin pagan Easter traditions in a clearer context with her cult. Even today, these festivals have a clearly sexual significance where a young maiden called the May Queen is paraded through the streets as a goddess. The maypole can also be associated with the phallic symbol. But until recent centuries, there were even more sexual examples that can be stated. In 1583, the Puritan Philip Stubbs indignantly noted that the girls who spent the night in the woods on the evening of the first day of May did not return home as virgins. The Puritans banned the celebration of May 1st just like Christmas. Because they saw it as pagan, which it is. Grimm also wrote about German traditions where girls wore white dresses and showed themselves at the cliffs and in the mountains, which can be traced back to the ancient goddess Ostara. 

In some areas, such as the British Isles, the 1st of May is celebrated on a grand scale. This is also mentioned in the old Germanic traditions. This also seems to refer to an Indo-European tradition . In many villages, a pretty girl was chosen and paraded through the streets. This custom persisted even after the introduction of Christianity. In some cases, an image of the Virgin Mary was paraded through the streets in a similar manner while it was adorned with flowers. Bede the Venerable writes that Ostara was celebrated throughout the month of April, so May 1st was possibly the last day of the celebration. Bede writes that throughout April, various celebrations were held. These celebrations have nowadays been replaced by the Christian feast that we call Easter. The folklorist Grimm collected stories from farmers throughout Germany in the 19th century. This reveals a similar picture, where the Germans talked about an Ostara month. 

The lighting of bonfires was a common practice during the spring equinox and the subsequent festivals. These fires were often lit on hills or prominent places and served as symbols of driving away the darkness and welcoming the light of spring. Grimm describes this in his findings on how the Germans celebrate the Ostara month. A spectacle that brings joy and blessing. And according to tradition, when the sun rises, a joyful dance is performed with three leaps. 

Today in Romania, there are similar traditions. On the first day of May or Armindeni (day of the drunkards), young people go into the woods and when they return, they place green branches at the doors of their houses. This corresponds to bringing back the maypole. In England, young girls who were still virgins danced around the maypole, which gives the impression of a fertility cult. The young girls brought back branches of poplar, ash, or oak. These are sacred trees in the Indo-European tradition. In some areas such as Transylvania, a maypole is made from this and the pole is often decorated with a sun wheel. In Sweden, they do exactly the same during Midsummer. They also add a sun wheel to the pole. Nowadays, everyone, including boys, dances around the pole, but originally these were only young girls or women. 

Ireland has Beltane, which is essentially the same as the May 1st celebration. Traditionally, there were Beltane fires. In Sweden, the comparable festival is celebrated as Valborg, which is derived from Walpurgis Night. This is the night before May 1st, and it is celebrated with fires. In all cases, it was later associated with witches. Originally, there were clear connections, but later these festivals were divided into different Christian festivals. Walpurgis is actually the name of a Christian Anglo-Saxon saint who went to Germany to convert pagans. Her name was given to this pagan tradition in an attempt to Christianize it. 

In Ireland, Romania, Scotland, and Lithuania, it is a tradition for women to wash their face or body in the May dew. The Lithuanians perform a similar ritual after Midsummer (Rasos). Girls and women engage in a ritual washing that symbolizes beauty. This undoubtedly has an Indo-European origin. This is likely related to the goddess of the dawn because the dew falls in the morning. In England, there are Morris dances where the whole night is danced to welcome the sun in May. The dance coincides with the falling of the dew. As previously mentioned, the women, before washing themselves with the dew, had been busy in the forest all night. According to an English saying, it brings bad luck to marry a woman on the first day of May. For women would be so sexually strong at that time that they could easily dominate the man. In Ireland, it was possibly customary that the night before May was a form of free pass to find a man and have sex with him instead of waiting for marriage. Here too, washing oneself with the dew is seen as a ritual cleansing after these adventures. The exact meaning is unclear, but it definitely relates to beauty and female power over the man. It may also have to do with purification.

Especially for these important festive occasions, we have two pagan compositions of women's clothing.

In this outfit, we have created a combination that fits well with the Ostara and Beltane festivals. 

For the dress, we have chosen a modern type of dress inspired by the classical peplos. These dresses are ideal for celebrating the most beautiful days of the year. They are functional and perfect for making you feel feminine and attractive. Especially on the days of Ostara and Beltane, this is extra important.

I personally wear these dresses in combination with various pieces of jewelry, each of which plays a symbolic role for me. 

The torque I wear in this outfit is based on a Late Bronze Age torque. This torque can be either Celtic, Germanic, or Late-Bronze Age. This makes me feel connected to my Indo-European ancestors. All cultures I associate myself with descend from here.  The torque is originally a symbol of status, but also of loyalty, upon which, for example, the Vikings swore allegiance.

For the upper arm bracelet, I chose a piece that matches the torque. Our Neolithic ancestors already used spiral motifs, and this practice continued well into the Celtic culture.

I wear a necklace of imitation amber. As early as the bronze Age, amber was very popular among the Indo-European ancestors. Amber from the Baltic regions was widely traded. 

This amber necklace is a personal choice for me. You could also choose a necklace of real amber, or if you want to connect more with the goddess of dawn, you might wear a Freya amulet for example.

Because the peplos was originally worn with two fibulae, I also wear this dress in the same way. My fibulae are spiral spectacle fibulae. Again the same spirals, so they match. Additionally, these fibulae have a special role for me because they have also been found in the Latin culture, which I have a lot of respect and interest in. 

I wear two Celtic bracelets. The Celtic culture is deeply ingrained in me. I am a Celtologist and have felt attracted to Celtic mythology since childhood. 

This bracelet is quite suitable for the Hallstatt style

With this bracelet, I mix my art styles a bit because it is made in the style of the Celtic La Tène period. 

Around my waist, I wear my favorite Hallstatt belt. This belt demonstrates how advanced Celtic art of the Hallstatt Period was. The buckle consists of two boars. In Indo-European culture, the boar represents strength and is revered by the late Germans, Celts in the form of the Arthurian legend, and in India (Vajapeya in Hindi). The front tip of the buckle is a human head. In Celtic tradition, we believe that a person's soul resided in the head. 

To add just a little extra colour to my white dress, I wear a second belt. This long belt moves beautifully with me while dancing.

Under my dress I wear sandals that are believed to be the oldest type of footwear. So from long before the Middle Ages or Iron Age.

I created this composition with the relatively cold April evenings in mind. 

I built this outfit in layers, so you can even decide to remove a layer halfway through the event while maintaining the same style.

This dress is ideal for the Ostara festivals. It is white, but not too white. Additionally, the different colors ensure that the dress has a unique appearance.

The belt I chose for this outfit is a replica of the 9th-century original found in the Viking ship burial of Oseberg. In this ship burial, two Viking women were buried. It is one of the most luxurious ship burials in Viking history.

I deliberately do not wear a hangeroc in this composition. The hangeroc was a status symbol and not every Viking woman wore a hangeroc. Especially for the Ostara month composition, I chose a lighter outfit where the hangeroc is less fitting. 

I have chosen Viking shoes based on an original from Jorvik. That is a personal choice. The shoes provide good ankle support for dancing and are fastened with leather buttons so you have less trouble with laces that can come loose.