I wasn’t really compelled to write about this but feel it may still be necessary for some Christians to learn about what’s celebrated (also learning more about it myself). This isn’t an in-depth study, but a basic overview.
We have a traditional picture lodged in our minds as to what “Easter” may hold. The image is typically of a springtime, sunny morning, waking up to a basket full of chocolate bunnies, colorful eggs, and other pastel prizes brought to you by the large white or brown “Easter Bunny”—essentially, a spring version of CHRISTmas morning all over again. For some, it’s getting up extra early for a sunrise church gathering. For us girls, we may have memories of dressing in frilly dresses as a kid (aaaand some adults) with white gloves, maybe a slightly oversized, broad-brimmed straw hat, and a string of pearls. Sometimes someone would hide our colorful eggs, and we’d have to hunt them down, filling our baskets with even more treats. Finally, we’d all gather as a family and enjoy a large meal of ham, potatoes, stuffed eggs, vegetables, rolls, and—possibly—a cute, bunny-shaped coconut cake. Once again, pretty much a spring version of CHRISTmas Day festivities.
But what is similar that should stand out between CHRISTmas and “Easter” is that—for the Christian—the focus is ever on Christ. The former, celebrating God incarnate as Jesus the Christ, entering the world humbly to seek and save the lost. The latter, celebrating both His redemptive work on the cross, offering substitutionary atonement for all mankind [who accept and surrender] and His victory over death, His divine power offering eternal life for all mankind [again, who accept and surrender]. Both span the life of Jesus the Christ, from earthly start to earthly finish (I say earthly, because as God the Son, Jesus is eternal—has always been and will always be).
Yet, somehow, many Christians would rather combine the bunny and the bearded man in the red suit with Jesus. They want to continue to elevate that picture that’s lodged in their minds rather than see the truth in what’s being celebrated.
So, what is that truth?
Well, I have already discussed the truth about CHRISTmas (and Halloween) here. I encourage you to read that study.
But what about this springtime tradition?
First, we have to understand what the title “Easter” means.
Hans J. Hillerbrand with Encyclopaedia Britannica claims,
“The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. There is now widespread consensus that the word derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as in albis, a Latin phrase that was understood as the plural of alba (“dawn”) and became eostarum in Old High German, the precursor of the modern German and English term. The Latin and Greek Pascha (“Passover”) provides the root for Pâques, the French word for Easter.”
Yet, others—like Folklorist and Professor of Anthropology and Communication Tok Thompson—are pretty confident it centers around paganism. Originally in The Conversation (republished by Smithsonian Magazine), Thompson says,
“In 1835, the folklorist Jacob Grimm, one of the famous team of the fairy tale Brothers Grimm, argued that the Easter hare was connected to a goddess he imagined would have been called “Ostara” in ancient German. He derived this name from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who Bede, an early medieval monk considered to be the father of English history, mentioned in 731 C.E.. Bede noted that in eighth-century England, the month of April was called Eosturmonath, or Eostre Month, after the goddess Eostre. He wrote that a pagan festival of spring in the name of the goddess had become assimilated into the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ. While most European languages refer to the Christian holiday with names that come from the Jewish holiday of Passover, such as Pâques in French or Påsk in Swedish, German and English languages retain this older, non-biblical word: Easter.”
History.com also upholds that “Easter” is derived from the title for the goddess Eostre, stating,
“[M]any of the traditions and symbols that play a key role in Easter observances actually have roots in pagan celebrations—particularly the pagan goddess Eostre.”
GotQuestions.org claims, “The origins of Easter are obscure.” They, also, state the possibility of pagan ties with the goddess, but they also state the possibility of something similar to what Hillerbrand with Britannica claims.
If we think about what’s been said, we can see most of the elements of modern “Easter” do align with said pagan goddess. Eostre is noted to be the goddess of spring and fertility, her symbol being the hare/rabbit. Some attribute the symbolism of the egg to new life in Christ, however, it strongly ties in with fertility. Reading some of the lore about Eostre, it’s been stated that the eggs were laid by the hare. Stephen Winick with the Library of Congress Blogs points this out in his research stating,
“Thenceforward the hare, the emblem of fertility, was known as the friend and messenger of the spring goddess; and in memory of her former existence as a bird, the hare once a year, at Easter, lays the gaily colored eggs that are the symbol of the awakening of earth and the renewal of life.”
Other studies have confirmed that Easter is of a Chaldean goddess, Astarte.
Easter (the word found in KJV):
mistranslated "Easter" in Act 12:4, AV, denotes the Passover (RV). The phrase "after the Passover" signifies after the whole festival was at an end. The term "Easter" is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast, but was not instituted by Christ, nor was it connected with Lent. From this Pasch the pagan festival of "Easter" was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity.
Vine's Expository Dictionary
Blue Letter Bible
Really, there are two main, SOLID truths we can agree on:
1) the origin of the title “Easter” (and what it represents) is obscure. Its uncertainty alone should raise a warning flag, causing us to proceed with caution, if at all. With its obscurity, we have to be careful (like with Xween) not to be dogmatic about its origins.
2) Scripture is clear there were and are false gods people worship. We have to be incredibly careful about quickly adopting practices that are or may be rooted in worship of false gods (like we do with yoga, astrology, and other occultic practices).
So, now that we are still not 100% certain of “Easter’s” roots, what do we do?
As Christians, we continue celebrating the death and Resurrection of our Savior. We already do this anyway when we meet together with the church regularly on the Lord’s Day and participate in the Lord’s Supper (something that changed with Jesus, observing Sunday rather than the Sabbath on Saturday). Scripture and the early church fathers note this as well.
“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread (as routine), Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” Acts 20:7/ “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” 1 Corinthians 16:2
“But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.” Justin Martyr—The First Apology of Justin
“If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death” Ignatius—The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians
But it is also right to commemorate the sacrificial death and Resurrection at the appointed time each year that the events took place. What Christians, then, are celebrating on that specific Sunday is Christ’s Resurrection. Therefore, a more appropriate title for the holy day (holiday) would be Resurrection Day. Up until now, you’ve noticed I use quotation marks around “Easter,” because I no longer refer to the holiday as such, but as Resurrection Day. Some friends of mine like to call it Victory Day, which is sufficient as well.
Many keep the original, historic title of Pascha (as we read in Hillerbrand’s writing). “Pascha is derived from the Jewish word Pesah which means ‘Passover’. And here there is a direct link with the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 5:7 we read, ”for our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed’. According to St John, Christ was crucified at the very time that the paschal lambs were being killed” (Harper).
It is of my discernment that we, being holy and set apart from the world and its profane ways, should focus on the truth of the day and not tradition which is steeped in worldliness.
What I mean is, while there is nothing inherently wrong about chocolate and eggs and special dinners, the manner in which they are utilized can be. If our focus is on bunnies and eggs and prizes, like CHRISTmas can be with Santa and gifts and secular aspects, then we are stepping over boundaries we should have turned from. Many Christians still lie to their children about a bunny bringing treats, like they do with Santa. And as a sister in Christ with full love and grace in truth, it needs to stop, dear siblings. Repent! We are passing down traditions to our children, leading by example—hopefully to Christ and with proper discipleship. As Christian parents, they are our closest mission field.
So how can we celebrate properly?
Like I mentioned, start with the title. From there, however, keep it Christ-centered, especially the regular meeting of the church. I’m still on the fence about depictions of Jesus (I do not like anything that instills an image of a false Jesus, which can quickly lead into false teaching and become idolatrous [like The Chosen and other films]), but I have watched The Passion of the Christ film multiple times, and feel it may be an appropriate reminder during this holiday (as it mostly follows Scripture, seeming to only embellish the depictions of Mary and Satan), but again, I must implore to proceed with caution (you can read more here). As for other aspects, it’s OK to give your children a treat, but maybe opting for something to nourish their bodies, or, being a sporadic treat in moderation, choose the chocolate cross over the bunny (so they can, at the very least, see the example that we aren’t celebrating a bunny). It’s also OK to hold a feast to celebrate. Feasts are all throughout the Bible. It’s something that brings us together in community, one with another in fellowship. Just let us be sure to give thanks to God in the name of Jesus for His provisions, especially that of salvation—atonement and victory.
The main takeaway, keep it Christ-focused as Resurrection Day.
I get it. Traditions are hard to change—some shouldn’t be changed at all, but some should, and “Easter” is one that should. So let us set our focus on what glorifies and honors Christ, making Him known and exalted, and let us move away from what the world sets in front of us that calls our attention away from Him and His truth.
References
Hillerbrand, H. J. (2022, October 6). Easter. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday
Thompson, Tok. (2022, April 14). The Ancient Origins of the Easter Bunny: A scholar traces the folk figure’s history from the Neolithic era to today. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ancient-origins-of-the-easter-bunny-180979915/
History.com. (2023, February 7). Easter 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter
Winick, Stephen. (2016, April 28). Ostara and the Hare: Not Ancient, but Not As Modern As Some Skeptics Think. Library of Congress Blogs. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2016/04/ostara-and-the-hare/
Bible Hub. Bible Library. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://biblehub.com/library/
Is the movie “The Passion of the Christ” biblically accurate? Got Questions. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from Is the movie “The Passion of the Christ” biblically accurate? | GotQuestions.org
G3957 – pascha – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (vul). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3957/vul/tr/0-1/
Harper, Michael. 2017. IT IS PASCHA NOT EASTER! Orthodox Research Institute. Retrieved from It IS Pascha not Easter! (orthodoxresearchinstitute.org)