Well, it turns out Easter actually began as a pagan festival celebrating spring in the Northern Hemisphere, long before the advent of Christianity. "Since pre-historic times, people have celebrated the equinoxes and the solstices as sacred times," University of Sydney Professor Carole Cusack said.

What is the origin of Easter?

The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring. The only reference to this goddess comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, a British monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth century.

What was the original day of Easter?

In the West the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan.

What pagan holiday did Easter originate from?

Easter first started out as a celebration of the Spring Equinox: a time when all of nature is awakened from the slumber of winter and the cycle of renewal begins. Anglo-Saxon pagans celebrated this time of rebirth by invoking Ēostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring, the dawn, and fertility.

Why Easter is pagan?

While Christmas was a celebration of the winter solstice, Easter was a celebration of the spring equinox for the pagans. Pagans lived their lives in strong accordance with nature's rhythms and patterns, and solstices and equinoxes were considered to be sacred times.

The Story of Easter (Jesus' Sacrifice)

Does the Bible say not to celebrate Easter?

Most Christians are unaware that Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity. Easter is not a Christian holiday. The word Easter is not even scriptural; it does not exist in true translations of the bible.

What was Easter called before Christianity?

In most countries in Europe, the name for Easter is derived from the Jewish festival of Passover.

Is Easter a pagan religion?

Easter itself is not a Pagan holiday. Christians celebrate Easter as the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection. And even though the feast of Jesus's Resurrection coincides with pagan celebrations, that doesn't mean it's wholly derived from pagan traditions.

What is the real story of Easter?

For Christians, Easter is associated with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ approximately 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, was crucified and resurrected at the time of the Jewish Passover.

What does the Easter bunny have to do with Jesus?

In short: The Easter Bunny is not related to Jesus at all. At most, they're both obviously tied to the holiday celebrating the resurrection, and they're both considered symbols of new life—but the links to one another, essentially, end there.

Why is it called Easter and not resurrection Sunday?

Given the symbolism of new life and rebirth, it was only natural to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at this time of the year. The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring.

Is Passover the same as Easter?

Passover marks the biblical story of Exodus, of the Jews and their leader, Moses, fleeing slavery in Egypt with the help of divine intervention. Easter, widely considered the most important day of the Christian calendar, commemorates the resurrection of Jesus as told in the Gospels of the New Testament.

Why do we celebrate Easter with a bunny?

According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs.

When did Christians start celebrating Easter?

Early Christianity

Jewish Christians, the first to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, timed the observance in relation to Passover. Direct evidence for a more fully formed Christian festival of Pascha (Easter) begins to appear in the mid-2nd century.

When was Jesus actually born?

The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical reference, but most biblical scholars assume a year of birth between 6 and 4 BC.

How did the rabbit become the symbol for Easter?

The exact origins of the Easter bunny are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre—a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolized fertility.

What Bible says about Easter?

Acts 4:33: "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all." Luke 24:6-7: "He is not here; he has risen!"

Do Catholics celebrate Easter?

“Easter is the greatest celebration in the Catholic church because it is the completion of the Holy week that ends with the resurrection of Jesus. Easter celebrates the beginning and foundation of Christianity.

What pagan holiday did Christmas replace?

Saturnalia, held in mid-December, is an ancient Roman pagan festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn. Saturnalia celebrations are the source of many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas.

What is a pagan in the Bible?

Pagan is derived from the Late Latin paganus, which was used at the end of the Roman Empire to name those who practiced a religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Early Christians often used the term to refer to non-Christians who worshiped multiple deities.

Did Christmas start as a pagan holiday?

Though December 25 is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the date itself and several of the customs we've come to associate with Christmas actually evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the winter solstice.

What do Jehovah Witnesses think about Easter?

Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas or Easter because they believe that these festivals are based on (or massively contaminated by) pagan customs and religions. They point out that Jesus did not ask his followers to mark his birthday.

Does the word Easter appear in the Bible?

The word Easter is not in the New Testament. Nor does it feature in most translations of the Bible into vernacular languages. There is no direct linguistic link between the English word Easter and the Jewish feast of Passover. This contrasts with the convention in Romance languages.

What religion does not celebrate Easter?

The most famous Christian groups to commonly reject Easter are: the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Messianic Jewish groups (also known as Hebrew-Christians), Armstrong Movement churches, many Puritan-descended Presbyterians, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Why do we hide eggs on Easter?

The men would hide the eggs for the women and children to find. This was a nod to the story of the resurrection, in which the empty tomb was discovered by women. In the German Lutheran tradition the Easter egg hunt is linked to the Easter Bunny – or the Easter Hare as he was originally known.