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Easter is a Christian festival celebrated across the world, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. It falls at a time of the year known as the spring equinox when the length of the nights in the Northern Hemisphere becomes identical to the length of the days. Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth as winter begins to fall away with the promise of sunnier, longer days lying ahead. For thousands of years, people from varying cultures have marked and celebrated the equinoxes and solstices (longest and shortest days of the year).
The pre-Christian ancient world is filled with stories of resurrection around spring. One of the world’s oldest civilisations, the Sumer who lived in southern Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq), inscribed a story of their goddess Inanna onto a clay tablet some two thousand years before Christ.
The story goes that Inanna descended into the underworld to find her recently deceased husband. There she was killed before being brought back to life by other gods. She was permitted to return to the world as the sun for six months before having to descend into the underworld once again during the winter for a further six months. It is perhaps the first ancient story of resurrection and rebirth centred on spring.
There were many more stories amongst ancient civilisations that followed a similar theme including the resurrection of Horus, the falcon-headed ancient Egyptian deity and the death and rebirth of the Greek god Dionysus. They are stories that share ideologies about renewal and light conquering darkness.
As Christianity began to sweep across Europe, many pagan festivals and traditions were absorbed and adapted into the Christian faith. It made sense that the already ingrained concept of new life being celebrated during springtime should become associated with Jesus conquering death and being reborn.
If you’ve noticed, the date of Easter changes every year and this is because it is governed by the phases of the moon and not a specific date on which Christ was said to have risen from the dead. It falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox making it a celebration of the seasons, a concept rooted in paganism.
What about the name 'Easter', where did that come from? It is believed that in most European countries, the name came from the Hebrew word 'Pesach', otherwise known as Passover - the Jewish springtime holiday. However, in English-speaking languages and Germany, some historians have argued the word derives from a pagan springtime goddess called Ēostre, who is documented by an Anglo-Saxon monk who wrote during the 8th century AD. Ēostre was a goddess celebrated with a festival during the spring equinox and according to some scholars, her association with hares is the origin of the Easter Bunny story, although this is still hotly debated.
So it’s clear to see that many of our Easter traditions do not have their roots in the Christian faith. Whilst many people today do mark the occasion by celebrating the resurrection of Christ, many others see Easter as a time to rejoice at the coming of spring - to celebrate with Easter bunnies, egg hunts and hot cross buns and embody the same spirit of hope, renewal and new life that has existed around this time of year for thousands of years.
www.history.co.uk
Easter is a Christian festival celebrated across the world, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. It falls at a time of the year known as the spring equinox when the length of the nights in the Northern Hemisphere becomes identical to the length of the days. Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth as winter begins to fall away with the promise of sunnier, longer days lying ahead. For thousands of years, people from varying cultures have marked and celebrated the equinoxes and solstices (longest and shortest days of the year).
The pre-Christian ancient world is filled with stories of resurrection around spring. One of the world’s oldest civilisations, the Sumer who lived in southern Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq), inscribed a story of their goddess Inanna onto a clay tablet some two thousand years before Christ.
The story goes that Inanna descended into the underworld to find her recently deceased husband. There she was killed before being brought back to life by other gods. She was permitted to return to the world as the sun for six months before having to descend into the underworld once again during the winter for a further six months. It is perhaps the first ancient story of resurrection and rebirth centred on spring.
There were many more stories amongst ancient civilisations that followed a similar theme including the resurrection of Horus, the falcon-headed ancient Egyptian deity and the death and rebirth of the Greek god Dionysus. They are stories that share ideologies about renewal and light conquering darkness.
As Christianity began to sweep across Europe, many pagan festivals and traditions were absorbed and adapted into the Christian faith. It made sense that the already ingrained concept of new life being celebrated during springtime should become associated with Jesus conquering death and being reborn.
If you’ve noticed, the date of Easter changes every year and this is because it is governed by the phases of the moon and not a specific date on which Christ was said to have risen from the dead. It falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox making it a celebration of the seasons, a concept rooted in paganism.
What about the name 'Easter', where did that come from? It is believed that in most European countries, the name came from the Hebrew word 'Pesach', otherwise known as Passover - the Jewish springtime holiday. However, in English-speaking languages and Germany, some historians have argued the word derives from a pagan springtime goddess called Ēostre, who is documented by an Anglo-Saxon monk who wrote during the 8th century AD. Ēostre was a goddess celebrated with a festival during the spring equinox and according to some scholars, her association with hares is the origin of the Easter Bunny story, although this is still hotly debated.
So it’s clear to see that many of our Easter traditions do not have their roots in the Christian faith. Whilst many people today do mark the occasion by celebrating the resurrection of Christ, many others see Easter as a time to rejoice at the coming of spring - to celebrate with Easter bunnies, egg hunts and hot cross buns and embody the same spirit of hope, renewal and new life that has existed around this time of year for thousands of years.
The pagan roots of Easter
Some historians have argued the name derives from a pagan springtime goddess called Ēostre
www.history.co.uk
