Do you celebrate Easter? Though this annual celebration of Christ’s resurrection isn’t mentioned in the Bible, the earliest Christians likely recognized it. By the mid-2nd century, the first evidence emerges of actual celebrations because disputes arose about the proper date. Actually, instead of the word “Easter,” most European languages use a derivative of the Greek & Latin “Pascha” (Passover) because it’s tied to the date of the Jewish Passover (John 19:14). In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea standardized the date based on the lunar calendar. Western Christians still adhere to it, while Eastern Christians use a different dating system.
But should Christians even be celebrating Easter? Doesn’t it have pagan origins? It’s complicated. Little agreement exists on the origin of the name because no solid evidence exists to prove or disprove such allegations. While it would be preferable to call the holiday “Resurrection Sunday,” the culture already has “Easter” entrenched. Every Sunday, really, is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection which is why Christians moved the day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to “the first day of the week” or “the Lord’s Day” (Luke 24:1, Acts 20:7, Rev. 1:10). But those terms didn’t stick. The culture still calls that day “Sunday,” although its origin is to honor a pagan deity (the Roman sun god). The same is true for the other days of the week & for many of the months. Yet no one today is honoring those false deities. “Easter” may simply relate to “east” or “dawn.”
Claims are made that “Easter” comes from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, or an ancient Saxon goddess (Eostre), or a Germanic goddess (Ostara). But this is only conjecture. “Eostare” is mentioned only briefly by the Venerable Bede, an 8th-century English monk who said that the Anglo-Saxon month “Eosturmonath” (basically April) was named after a goddess whose feasts were celebrated at that time of year. But scholars debate whether Eostre was a real goddess or just a misinterpretation.
The writings of 19th-century folklorist Jakob Grimm built on that claim, suggesting a possible connection to the German word for Easter (Ostern) to Ostara (Grimm’s reconstructed Germanic form of “Eostre”), supposing that this was a deity associated with spring. But he admits that there was no solid link between Easter & pagan celebrations.
Is it possible that some kind of fertility celebration got Christianized? Maybe. Again, it’s only speculation. Lots of pagan holidays took place in spring (Babylonian, Egyptian, Indian, Roman, & Greek). That doesn’t mean there’s a connection. Even if it is how it got started, no one today is celebrating Easter that way. We have freedom to redeem & repurpose anything that’s been stolen by the enemy. Eggs & bunnies don’t belong to the devil!
Speaking of eggs & bunnies, where did those traditions come from? Again, Jakob Grimm made a passing reference to a hare being connected to a pagan fertility symbol–after all, rabbits do multiply rapidly. But that linkage is also suspect. Baby rabbits are a common springtime animal, & thus, a symbol of new life. But an “Easter Bunny” wasn’t even a thing until nearly 500 years after paganism had ceased having any real influence in Europe.
How did a bunny ever get connected to eggs, though? Rabbits don’t lay eggs, so why would one become the springtime Santa Claus for children? In 1682, a physician documented a custom in parts of Germany where children believed a hare brought eggs during Easter, which may have roots in older Germanic folklore. By the early 19th century, the Easter Bunny had become a cultural icon in the U.S. & beyond thanks to commercialization.
In ancient Egypt, eggs were linked to creation & renewal. The same is plausibly true for ancient Mesopotamia & Persia, though the evidence is less explicit. But regardless of culture & era, eggs universally symbolize new life, & so it makes sense that Christians would adopt this symbol. A chick emerging from its shell can remind one of a man emerging from a tomb. At the end of the 13th century in England, it seems King Edward I decorated hundreds of hard-boiled eggs with golden leaves for family & friends during Easter season. Another possibility is that during Lent season leading up to Easter, people went without meat & eggs. So toward the end of Lent, they’d hard-boil the eggs to make them last longer. Then they could be eaten later on Easter. They might also be decorated as festive pastimes.
Whether a Christian celebrates “Easter” or not is a matter of personal conscience. For nearly all, eggs & bunnies are an innocent cultural tradition. In my home, we never promoted the Easer Bunny, but we did gift our children with baskets of sweets & treats. But if using the term or the accompanying symbols is contrary to conscience, it’s perfectly understandable to eschew them. But neither side of that debate should disparage the other (Rom. 14:5-6, Col. 2:16-17).
The main concern should be to keep the focus on Jesus, & not let secular & commercial things detract from Him. They may be acceptable supplements but never substitutes. And let’s rejoice that Easter still provides a great opportunity to bring people to church to hear the true meaning of the holiday! So I say, let’s use it! Who will you be asking to join you?