The Roots of Easter!

Now for many of us we were taught in school that Easter was the day of Jesus’ resurrection after he was crucified. This holiday is celebrated all over the world but if it was to celebrate the resurrection of Christ then why do we have stories of the Easter bunny and him delivering eggs?

Well it is lead to believe that the many traditions we have today all can possibly originate from that of pagan rituals.

Did you know that Easter is placed at the same time of the year as the spring equinox?

A time when the days become longer and new life starts to emerge and many things are reborn.

The date of Easter changes each year and this is down to the moon and it’s cycles. The day is on the following Sunday after a first full moon after the spring equinox. This then seems to point towards pagan beliefs rather than Christianity.

Many have argued the name of Easter has been derived from the pagan springtime goddess Ēostre and her symbols are a hare and an egg. This could be where the bunny delivering eggs has originated from. Rabbits and hares are a symbol of fertility and life. Well I’m pretty sure we know what rabbits get up too 😂.

A German story could also shed some light on how the Easter bunny came about. Known as the Osterhase, a hare would deliver eggs to the children that were good. This story wasn’t found till the 17th century though.

Now if we look at the symbol of the egg, I know it’s strange to think an egg could be but it is. Like the hare it is a symbol of fertility and new life. The egg from the pagan traditions was then changed by Christianity to resemble the tomb and the cracking was to represent Jesus being resurrected.

Also hot cross buns was origianlly created to celebrate the goddess Ēostre and not the crucifixion of Jesus.

Easter is a time for the birth of many animals and the rebirth of many plants and trees and should be celebrated for the beauty this world can bring.

Is there anything you didn’t know about Easter?

Do you have any Easter traditions?

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and celebrate it however you wish. Happy Easter to you all!!