THE ORIGINS OF EASTER
By Don Wildgrube



Most people in the western world are familiar with the holiday of EASTER. To 
some it commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus. To many it heralds the 
return of spring, the time to color and hide Easter Eggs and to wear new clothes 
and Easter Bonnets.
 
The word EASTER is from the Anglo-Saxon word, Oestre or Eastre, which is the 
ancient name of the Goddess of Spring.
 
Untold centuries before the Christian era, the country folk would gather on the 
eve of this day that they called Ostara, to feast until sunrise. Some people met 
in caves, the womb of the Earth Mother, to wait for the sunrise. During this 
evening, stories would be told of the death of the vegetation at the Spring 
Equinox and of the cycle of fertility.
 
Resurrection stories are not new with the stories of Jesus. These stories are 
universal. The birth-death-resurrection cycles are in fact quite common. They 
are found in the stories of Osirus, Tammuz, Lugh, Apollo, Mithra or any number 
of ancient gods.

A common theme can be found in the story of the "Demeter and Persephone". In 
this story, Pluto, the god of the lower regions, fell in love with Persephone, 
the daughter of the grain Goddess, Demeter.

Persephone rejected him, so he took her to his world of Darkness, Hades, to be 
his reluctant bride. Because Persephone was taken away, Demeter rules that the 
vegetation should die. Zeus intervened and brought Persephone back and the Earth 
bloomed again. The Earth came alive when Persephone came out of the cavern 
leading to Hades, and it died again when she returned below in fall. Thus the 
cycles of the year.
 
Spring is a season of fertility and the rabbit symbolized this fertility. 
Rabbits are well known as abundant procreators and the Easter Bunny or more 
correctly, the March Hare, is much used in Easter symbolism.
 
Egyptians dyed eggs for religious celebrations before 500 BCE. The Romans did 
likewise, although they usually dies theirs red, red being the color sacred to 
the God Mars. The month of March is named after Mars.
 
Hot cross buns were traditionally served at the Spring Equinox in Northern 
Europe. These small cakes had cross shaped indentations in the top. The custom 
dates from before the Christian era and therefore, did not represent 
crucifixion, but rather the quartering of the year into seasons. This ancient 
symbol has been in all ancient societies. In many cases, wings were added to the 
tops of the cross, showing movement, showing the cross spinning. This is the 
swastika. It may be of interest to know that the swastika is found in all 
cultures with four seasons, but in areas where there is only three discernible 
seasons, the swastika was replaced by the triskele.
 
The customs of Easter were adopted into early Christianity in Northern Europe 
due to the work of St. Augustine, by order of Pope Gregory I. The Pope figured 
that by adopting Pagan holidays and customs, and making some of the Pagan Gods 
into Saints, they could bring many Pagans into the new faith of Christianity. 
These old customs and the old name of the Spring holiday seem to be so ingrained 
in the ways of the English, that the translators for King James, even slipped up 
in their work on the Bible. The book of The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 12, 
verse 4, uses the word Easter. This is a mistranslation, the original word is 
Pasach, or Passover.
 
It seems the early church had much trouble in setting the date of Easter. Only 
after Constantine convened the Council of Nicea in 325, was the date set. It is 
done by the Moon: It is the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the 
Spring Equinox, except if it fell on Passover, it would then be the next full 
moon. According to the Council, the Christians were not to celebrate their 
holidays at the same time as the Jews. The Council was extremely anti-Jewish and 
even decreed that, "Önone hereafter should follow the blindness of the Jews." 
And because of this anti-Jewish sentiment, Christians were urged to celebrate 
Easter by eating pork to show their spite.

Easter is a happy celebration. Bright colors, spring breezes and good fool make 
our spirits light. Enjoy this season, and look forward to summer.

If this leaflet has sparked your interest, let us know. We celebrate the seasons 
in reverence for the Earth and the Earth Mother Goddess.