why do we celebrate easter?

Question

and why do we paint and hide eggs and whuts with the bunny

Answer 1

precisely! why?

Answer 2

Well, I hate to break it to you, but the eggs & rabbit are fertility symbols. They pre-date Christianity. They are associated with a spring festival called Ostara.

OSTARA (pronounced O-STAR-ah) is one of the Lesser Wiccan Sabbats, and is usually celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox right around March 21 (although because of its origins, may instead be celebrated on the fixed date of March 25). Other names by which this Sabbat may be known are Oestara, Eostre's Day, Rite of Eostre, Alban Eilir, Festival of the Trees, and Lady Day. The Christian holiday of Easter is very near this same time, (notice the similarity in name?), and is determined as the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox.

The name for this Sabbat actually comes from that of the Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre. Her chief symbols were the bunny (for fertility and because the Ancient Ones who worshipped her often saw the image of a rabbit in the full moon), and the egg (representing the cosmic egg of creation). This is where the customs of "Easter Eggs" and the "Easter Bunny" originated.

Here's the link in case you're interested in reading more: http://thunder.prohosting.com/~cbarstow/ostara.html

Answer 3

pagans fertility celebration beginning of spring, then some good church people chose this time to celebrate the death and Resurrection of Christ. It's a good holiday any way. Eggs were assign of fertility!!! through out the centuries. The Americans got funny and added a Easter bunny that lays eggs. Had to make money some how

Answer 4

O.k. Easter is supposed to be the celebration of the Ressurection of Jesus Christ but the pegans got a hold of it and turned it into a fertility celebration the beggining of spring, babies and bunnies being very fertil and all. why we paint the eggs I am not so sure

Answer 5

The Goddess Ostera turned birds into bunnies to amuse the childern. The birds laid beautiful colored eggs for their delight. Why Christians kept the myth going, I don't know. Maybe it was the custom and people continued it like many other ancient customs.

Answer 6

We who? Not all christians celebrate this pagan holiday.

EASTER
Note: these sites tell where Easter Eggs came from.
http://www.nobleknights.com/~eagle1/eostre1.htm
http://www.rightdivision.com/html/easter_pagan_influences.html
Note: these sites about the bunny
http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn63/easter.htm
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oGkmOKcrRF3.gAgkZXNyoA?p=easter+bunny+oestre&ei=UTF-8&fr=slv8-&x=wrt
http://www.bernardcallebaut.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=4681
http://www.gnmagazine.org/easter/?S=1

EASTER NOT FOUND IN THE BIBLE
"The English word 'Easter' came from the Anglo-Saxon Eastre or Estera, a Teutonic goddess to whom sacrifice was offered in April, so the name was transferred to the Pashal Feast. The word does not properly occur in Scripture although the AV (King James Translation) has it in ACTS 12:4 where it stands for 'Passover' as it is rightly rendered in RV (Revised Version). There is no trace of Easter celebration in the New Testament..." (INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA VOL.2, P.889). The word 'Easter' has confused some but the word in the original form is "Pascha" meaning "Passover". It occurs 29 times in the New Testament & everytime it's translated Passover except in Acts 12:4. If you read carefully (ACTS 12:1-4); it says that Herod killed James and was trying to kill Peter in an effort to "vex the church"(Please the Jews). Then in VERSE 3 "were the days of unleavened bread"; see LEV.23. He put him in prison intending to try him "after Easter" (KJV). Now if Herod was trying to "please the Jews" & "vex the church" Why would he have delayed the trial until after 'Easter?'" If this was a "christian holy day", especially one in honoring Christ's resurrection, he would surely not be pleasing the Jews, Wouldn't it be more pleasing to the Jews to vex the church by killing one of it's Apostles on it's own "holy-day," would it not?

ORIGIN OF EASTER: WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
Easter was never observed by the Apostles of Christ or Christ's Religion. "The name 'Easter' comes to us from the mythlogical writings of the Ancient Teucrians (who lived 1200BC along the southern coast of Palestine) where it's known as 'Ostern'" BY GROVER STEVENS. "The name 'Easter' is merely the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian idol goddess, Ishtar (pronounced eesh-tar)." WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY says "Easter is from the pre-historic name of a pagan spring festival." THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY says, "Easter is derived from the name of goddess whose feast was celebrated at the vernal equinox." THE SCHOLARY NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA says, "This goddess is also widely known as Astarte...The cult originated in Babylonia and spread to Assyria, Mesopotamia, Syria & Palestine, then through the Phoenicians to all of the Meditteranean peoples...Ishtar was in fact primarily and chiefly identified as Venus, the most beautiful of celestial objects & from the terrestrial side, the primarily motive of the worship of Ishtar was the impulse to deify sensuous and sensuality." ALEXANDER HISLOP SAYS IN THE TWO BABYLONS (P.103), "Easter bears its Chaldean origin on its forehead. Easter is nothing else than Asarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven..."
http://family.webshots.com/photo/1370351068049373547hLMhYB
http://www.matrifocus.com/IMB04/spotlight.htm
http://www.albatrus.org/english/festivals/easter/is_easter_pagan.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar
http://www.lcg.org/search/search.php?query=easter&type=and&results=10&search=1

VERSES-- DEUT.4:19,28-31; 11:26-28; 17:3 & GAL.4:8-10.

Answer 7

Because if we don't the Easter Bunny will turn nasty and kill us all.

Answer 8

i THINK it for the kids because when I was a little girl i could not wait until easter came.

Answer 9

We; who?
I don't celebrate Easter.

Answer 10

i like easter eggs. . . . .