The Vernal Full Moon—the first full moon after the Spring Equinox—carries special significance in religions ancient and contemporary, pagan and conventional.
For the ancient pagan Germanic tribes, the Vernal Full Moon was a time for honoring their Goddess Eostre (also called Ostara and Ostera). She was a goddess of purity, youth, beauty, and new life beginnings. The egg and the rabbit, especially the white rabbit, were her symbols. In Wicca and other modern pagan religions, the Spring Equinox itself is sometimes called Ostera in her honor—with the observance of the Vernal Full Moon continuing the theme of new life.
The Vernal Full Moon also plays a role in conventional religion. In Judaism, Passover—a celebration of new beginnings and release from bondage—begins on the day of the Vernal Full Moon. The Roman Catholic holiday of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is held on the first Sunday following the Vernal Full Moon, with most of the other Christian religions also observing Easter on that day.