Last Sunday (20th March) it was Oestara (more commonly known as Ostara) aka the Spring Equinox. As I said in my Oestara Round-up post, I normally bake for this sabbat. This year I made a Maltesers traybake slice (which is actually "no-bake!), using this recipe: https://www.goodto.com/recipes/maltesers-bites
It's very similar to Birdies Perch Malteser slice (my favourite thing to "no-bake"), except that has digestive biscuits instead of Rice Krispies. I've made a recipe based on that for Oestara in 2016 and the usual recipe last year.
I used Rice Snaps (Tesco own brand) for the traybake bites and put Cadbury Mini Eggs on top along with the Maltesers, to fit the spring theme! They tasted quite nice. Here's a picture:
In the evening I went up to my favourite nature reserve on a hill at sunset. The sun seemed to be going down quite quickly, so I didn't get really great photos (also it wasn't as much of a sunset as some days), but never mind. It's still nice to mark the day. Here's a photo:
Last year I went the next day because there wasn't a "proper" sunset at all. It was more like pastel colours this Oestara. :)
It's now two years since we first went into lockdown in the UK, due to the coronavirus pandemic! Seems hard to believe. All restrictions have basically been lifted in England and other countries in the UK are also relaxing their rules. It feels quite strange after two years of it. Things continue to be unsettled though, with cases numbers coming up and down around the world (they are going into lockdown in Shanghai in China again,) and it's still a difficult time, especially for those in Ukraine right now.
So now we're officially in spring! Days are getting longer (which started after Yule/the Winter Solstice in December) and it will be more noticeable since the equinox. Also, the clocks just went forward in the UK today, so now sunset is an hour later. The weather is getting warmer, up to about 18C (64F) in Sussex recently.
The next sabbat will be Beltane on 1st May (some celebrate on 30th April) which is "mid-spring" but also marks the start of the shift into summer. I will do a post about it nearer the time.
Hope you had a good Oestara/Spring Equinox! (Or a good Madron/Mabon/Autumn Equinox depending where you live!) :)
Such a serene, dreamily pretty sunset. It really does evoke thought of pastel candies and dyed eggs.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the restrictions have been lifted here in our corner of Canada as well, though I personally feel (especially since case numbers are once again up here) that it is far too soon for most o them to be rescinded. Tony and I are continuing to wear masks, social distance, and keep outing in public places to a minimum. Even with all of our shots, we very much want to avoid catching Covid if at all possible (just as I hope it spares you and your loved ones, too).
Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life
Glad you like the sunset! :) It's really interesting how different they can be, all fiery or pale and pastel-y, or between.
DeleteGlad to hear things have eased up enough there for restrictions to be lifted. As you say though, I think it's a good idea to follow the other precautions. Thank you, best wishes to you, Tony and the rest of your family. <3