Ostara is a festival that marks the vernal equinox, typically celebrated around March 20th or 21st in the Northern Hemisphere, when day and night are of equal length, heralding the start of spring. The name "Ostara" is derived from Eostre or Ostara, who was a Germanic goddess of spring and dawn revered in ancient pagan traditions. The festival is associated with themes of rebirth, renewal, and fertility, celebrating the awakening of the earth and the return of fertility to the land after the cold of winter.

Symbols commonly associated with Ostara include eggs, which symbolize fertility and new beginnings; rabbits or hares, which are also symbols of fertility due to their high reproductive rates; and flowers, particularly those that bloom early in the spring, symbolizing the renewal of life and the beauty of the season. Celebrations might include egg decorating, planting new seeds, spring cleaning, and rituals that reflect the balance between light and darkness and the burgeoning of life.

Ostara has been linked to various cultural and religious celebrations, including Easter. Some of the customs associated with Ostara, such as the Easter bunny and Easter eggs, have been incorporated into Christian traditions surrounding Easter, reflecting a blending of pagan and Christian practices over time. Today, Ostara is celebrated by many pagans, Wiccans, and those following various neo-pagan paths as a time of joy and renewal.