2007-05-27 04:36:43 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
What is the origin of Easter and the customs associated with it?
The Encyclopædia Britannica comments: “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians.”—(1910), Vol. VIII, p. 828.
The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us: “A great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. . . . The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility.”—(1913), Vol. V, p. 227.
In the book The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop, we read: “What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, . . . as found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar. . . . Such is the history of Easter. The popular observances that still attend the period of its celebration amply confirm the testimony of history as to its Babylonian character. The hot cross buns of Good Friday, and the dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday, figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now.”—(New York, 1943), pp. 103, 107, 108; compare Jeremiah 7:18.
2007-05-27 04:38:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Evidently, someone decided somewhere along the way that reproduction was a part of the spring and Easter. Eggs & bunnies represent reproduction, new life, birth...
Yeah... It's Jesus inside the bunny costume hiding the eggs!
2007-05-27 11:43:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's the original Pagan element that Christians have never been able to totally expunge even though they exterminated as many Pagans as they could ... the bunnies and eggs of Paganism are resurrected each year like Pagan ghosts of the dead to remind Christians that Easter is and always was a Pagan festival. It's sort of like a haunting reminder.
2007-05-27 11:46:24 · answer #3 · answered by CHEESUS GROYST 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a Pagan I have always wondered why so many Christian holidays fall on Pagan dates, but it is something that doesn't really bother me. Yes many things like rabbits and eggs represent fertility, but I say a History special about Mary Magdelene saying that she went before Pilate to plead Christs case and when he refused she showed him a white egg that turned blood red, so this may have something to do with Easter and eggs.
Personally boiled eggs give me gas and I just don't enjoy them like I used to. Oh well!
2007-05-27 14:14:03 · answer #4 · answered by humanrayc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bunnies - nothing
Ostara or Eastere was the goddess of spring, and fertility. Her holy animal was the HARE and her attribute the egg.
When the pagan origins of the feast were forgotten under Christian predominance the symbols remained, because they are part of the custom in Europe still.
2007-05-27 11:42:30 · answer #5 · answered by haggesitze 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely nothing! It's called Easter for some. I know it as, " Ressurection Sunday. " The devil perverts Christ's birth by bringing in santa and material-giving. The devil is as much behind the Resurrection of the Lord being overlooked by chasing around eggs that a dressed up human has left. The Lord wants us to enjoy holidays and have fun. But He is a jealous God and will never play second in your life.
2007-05-27 11:47:55 · answer #6 · answered by HeVn Bd 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the festival of easter was dedicated to the goddess Astarte a goddess of fertility in Ancient Babylon . The egg in particular was a sacred object venerated today by druidic followers around easter time
2007-05-27 11:46:44 · answer #7 · answered by Vengeance_is_mine 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
easter is a pagan festival celebrating spring
eggs and bunnies seem to be quite obvious symbols of fertility.
the question should be what does the supposed resurrection of Jesus have to do with easer.
Nowt!
2007-05-27 13:24:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the Christians will tell you that the egg represents the resurrection of Christ. I'm not sure about the bunny. Actually, I think that it's just a holiday adopted form a pagan fertility ritual.
2007-05-27 11:41:11 · answer #9 · answered by Sptfyr 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Didn't you know the pope was originally a rabbit?
But seriously, Easter was first a pagan fertility holiday, hence the eggs and bunnies. (bunnies screw like...well..bunnies.)
2007-05-27 11:39:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋