Happy Easter everyone!
 
In all honesty, I don't feel a strong connection with the Christian tradition of this holiday, but it became much more meaningful to me when I learned about the pagan history that eventually evolved into what we now know as Easter.
 
To explain more, I'm sharing my Spring illustration today as part of my four-season series. It's been made with natural pigments that align with the spring season, like daffodil and marigold flowers.
 
This illustration represents Ostara (or Eostre), a Germanic goddess from whom the name ‘Easter’ is believed to have evolved. She is the goddess of dawn and the return of life—symbolizing fertility, growth, and renewal.
 
According to old folklore, she was on her way to bring back the light at the beginning of spring (March 21st), as was her duty. But one year, she was running late because, on her journey, she found a starving bird in the snow. She saved the bird by transforming it into a white hare. Wanting it to stay connected to its original form, she gave it the gift of laying eggs. In gratitude, the hare gifted its eggs at the Ostara celebration. And that, as the story goes, is how the Easter Bunny was born.
 
The full moon following Ostara was the highlight of the celebration. Even today, Easter is celebrated on the weekend after the first full moon following March 21st, the time when day and night are of equal length. From then on, the days grow longer—and we know spring is in the air, thanks to Ostara.
 
So, beyond celebrating spring, I also aim to honor this Germanic pagan goddess who helped shape what we now call Easter. A beautiful example of how, everywhere, nature was once the first religion.
 
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