Where did the name 'Easter' come from?

How did a special day set aside for Israel turn into a Christian celebration with a Pagan name?

First, let’s remind ourselves about what Passover is and how the date is set.

If you have not noticed, “Easter”/”Resurrection Sunday”/Passover changes each year. In fact, the Gregorian calendar setting for the day isn’t followed by some groups and a completely different day is celebrated for the same cause.

The date of Passover each year is determined by the first night of a full moon after the spring equinox. This has been how Israel determined Passover for over 2,300 years, since the Exodus from Egypt.

Somewhere along the path of history, a Pagan Anglo- Saxon Goddess from Britain/Saxony (Germanic) named Eostre (AKA Ostara) became relevant enough through some strange means to claim the time period for the celebration of fertility using symbols of rabbits and eggs, colors of green, yellow and purple and following spring equinox.

Now, all of this is kind of more of a rumor because nothing was ever really written down about it. (At the same time, Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians and Hindu’s decorate and exchange colored eggs in Spring.)

At last, The Passover Lamb blood was shed for the final time and Christ died on a cross and said the words “It is Finished.” Then, he was raised by God to life again on the following Sunday, appearing to His Followers and several thousand others afterward, finally being lifted into heaven by God. It almost seems to me that the special day for Christians was hijacked by someone or a group at some point … on purpose?

I’ve always had trouble saying “Happy Easter” when for me and my Family, it’s Resurrection Sunday. I know the power of words and invocations, so I limit the use of the word. We also don’t comingle eggs and rabbits with Jesus’ death and rising, but we do have some fun for spring.

Spring is awesome! Celebrating life and newness is splendid while surrounded by fluffy clouds and wildflowers, busy bees and sunshine.

It's interesting that for Israel, they believed after Exodus, God was calling them into a newness as a people, which coincides with the newness of spring. The spring equinox marks the date.

God says He uses creation for signs and season. Some choose to worship the actual creation or the actual sign or season because we are easily swayed by things we can touch or see. Jesus said, “blessed are those who do not see yet believe.'

I admit, I’m one of those people that had to prove the whole thing to myself and spent quite a large portion of my life dedicated to study, before it very evidently revealed to me that God is everywhere, all the time, and that He is very good. He had a plan from the first spoken word — a plan that has perfectly played out according to prophesy and history and is very, very evidently His divine orchestration.

So, around 300 AD, a group of bishops from all over the known world gathered and tried to bring a sense of unity to the thousands of house “churches,” and created a creed that they could all agree to; we know it as the Nicene Creed. They set dates for certain holidays (Holy Days) like assuming a strange celebration called Saturnalia from the Romans, mixed it with a little Krampus and lore from Saxony (Germans which migrated to Britain), and marked it as a date when Jesus was born, trying to create unity through strategy and calling it Christmas.

I find it strange that when I go to the store, anywhere in the US, I am faced with Passover articles for sale or Eostre articles for sale. Sometimes, the Eostre articles will have a cross symbol or some words about Christ, mingling the two. But, I have never found, save a few Christian stores, dedicated items supporting the resurrection celebration of The Lord. It seems unequal to me, but Jesus did not say there would not be persecution in all forms. Hmm.

This year, try using a different celebratory word. Instead of invoking a goddess that showed up AFTER Passover and AFTER Christ, call it what it is… Resurrection Sunday! Amen!

For scripture references, questions or comments, email: IQSulphurSprings@protonmail.com