Ostara _ rituals, recipes, & lore for the spring equinox ( PDFDrive )

Sacred Sites Marking the Equinox
It is believed the ancient Irish people (predating Celts and Druids) celebrated the
solstices and the equinoxes. A large part of this proof comes from megalithic
cairns built throughout Ireland. While many people believe the Druids built these
cairns and henges, scientific testing and dating methods show these monuments
and sites to be much older. While the Druids may have eventually used the sites
for ritualistic or other practices, they were not responsible for their existence. A
particular group of cairns located in Loughcrew contains a passage tomb that is
constructed so that a backstone is lit up by the sun’s rays on the Vernal Equinox.
The backstone contains astronomical symbols that are fully lit at the equinox.
(Megalithic Ireland) While this may have been just some sort of elaborate
calendar system, the astronomical symbols imply that it did indeed have a
greater importance than just marking one day of the year.
The Mayans have celebrated the Spring Equinox for more than 1,000 years.
When the sun sets on the ceremonial pyramid El Castillo in Mexico, it creates an
illusion known as the “Return of the Sun Serpent.” The sun creates what looks to
be a giant snake descending the stairs of the pyramid. In this way, they honor the
return of their sun god. (Atlas Obscura)
In Vermont, a stone structure incorporated with an amphitheater-type basin,
now called “Calendar One,” has stones marking where the sun rises on the
Summer Solstice and the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes. While it is not
known for sure what peoples actually built Calendar One, theories abound
attributing it to Native Americans even though some of the writings found were
actually Irish Hinge Ogham. (Angel) Could the Celts have traveled to North
America at some point—even before the current era?
In Salem, New Hampshire, the 4,000-year-old “America’s Stonehenge” stands
on Mystery Hill. It is believed to have been built by some unknown European
migrants or Native Americans. It has five standing stones and one stone that
points to the sunrise and sunset at both equinoxes, along with being an accurate
astronomical calendar for other events. Several different ancient languages have
been discovered at the site, suggesting it was at least used or visited by several
different groups of people over its existence. (Goudsward)