Ostara: Our Rising Dawn

Ostara is a pagan festival celebrated to mark the spring equinox. Each year in the Northern Hemisphere the vernal equinox occurs around the second half of March, marking the time when the sun passes over the celestial equator. Within the wheel of the year, Wiccans and other Neo-Pagans observe the sacred sabbath day as Ostara, a festival devoted to the celebration of the season's change from dark winter to brightening spring. This work examines the history, origins, mythology, cultural significance, contemporary practices, rituals, and rites centered around this ancient festival, the Goddess Ostara and its present-day manifestations in other religions.