One of the principal Wiccan Sabbats,
or holidays. Ostara is another name referring to the Vernal (spring) equinox.
The name Ostara derives from the name of a Teutonic Goddess, Oestre, which
may in turn be derived from the Babylonian Ishtar. (The word Easter comes from
the same root.) The
connection of the equinox to the goddess is recorded by the seventh-century
Christian author referred to as the Venerable Bede, who refers to the name-origin
of the Easter holiday.
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