What is the true origin of Easter?

What is the true 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.

Is Easter based on a pagan holiday?

Despite its significance as a Christian holy day, many of the traditions and symbols that play a key role in Easter observances actually have roots in pagan celebrations—particularly the pagan goddess Eostre—and in the Jewish holiday of Passover.

What pagan holiday does Easter replace?

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 pagan history of Easter?

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.

What does the word Easter literally mean?

“Easter is a very old word. ... Another theory is that the English word Easter comes from an older German word for east, which comes from an even older Latin word for dawn. In spring, dawns mark the beginning of days that will outlast the nights, and those dawns erupt in the east.

What is the truth about Easter?

Easter eggs started in ancient Persia, where they were used as a symbol of ongoing struggle between good and evil. Christians eventually used the Easter egg as a symbol of life coming forth from an empty tomb.

Why should we not celebrate Easter?

Most Christians are unaware that Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity. Easter is not a Christian holiday. Most Christians are unaware that Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity. ...

What are the pagan holidays?

Together, they represent the most common celebrations in Wiccan-influenced forms of Neopaganism, especially in contemporary Witchcraft groups.

• Winter Solstice (Yule)
• Imbolc (Candlemas)
• Spring Equinox (Ostara)
• Beltane (May Eve)
• Summer Solstice (Litha)
• Lughnasadh (Lammas)
• Autumn Equinox (Mabon)
• Samhain (Hallowe'en)

What the Bible Says About Easter?

" 1 Peter 1:3: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Corinthians 15:21: "For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man."