A different take on Easter . . .

[irish.lambchop]

Oestre/Easter

Nowhere in the Bible does it celebrate or even mention Easter. The name Easter derived from the Saxon Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). The ancient Saxons in Northern Europe worshiped the Goddess Oestre at the time of the Spring Equinox. The Goddess Easter represents the sunrise, spring-time and fertility, the renewal of life.

Pagan Anglo-Saxons made offerings of colored eggs to her at the Vernal Equinox. They placed them at graves especially, probably as a charm of rebirth. (Egyptians and Greeks were also known to place eggs at gravesites).

Only later did the Christians pilfer the name for themselves and graft their religion onto a pagan celebration.

http://www.nobeliefs.com/easter.htm

[goddess40]

1. as are many religious holidays nt

[Berry Cool]

2. Oh wow. Tell people something they don't already know.

Seems like Christians on DU can't enjoy a peaceful holiday without all the atheists coming out of the woodwork trying to "convert" them with the !shocking! news that their holidays actually incorporates--the horror!--ELEMENTS OF PAGANISM!

And people think the fundies are annoying...

[acmavm]

3. Don't bother. Haven't you caught on yet? You're supposed to 'respect'

everyone's point of view, no matter what it is, in personal matters and matters of ethics. That is, unless you happend to be a Christian. Then you are supposed to side idly by, very quietly and humbly while the faith that you hold so dear is ridiculed and demeaned and you are told that you are an idiot. And don't ever try to point out that this is the place where people are supposed to be able to feel that there is room for different ideas, because you are so wrong.

[Breeze54]

5. I didn't know the history...I see nothing wrong with the OP's post.

Pagan Origins and Christian Origins

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=686&display_order=3&mini_id=1072

Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. The origin of its name is unknown. Scholars, however, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.

Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions. A Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter. Many ancient peoples shared similar legends. The Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice, and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him.

The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a number of converging traditions; most scholars emphasize the original relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch, another name for Easter. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.

An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2005 World Almanac Education Group, A WRC Media Company

[Ilsa]

7. "pilfer" is a values-laden term to intended to disparage. If the OP's content

had used a different term, like "combined" or "adopted", it wouldn't be such a slap.

There is even more to the story as the date for Easter is set based on the first appearance of a stage of the moon (full?) after Equinox. Hence, the relevance of moon in the hot cross buns.

[Breeze54]

4. Easter is a holy day in the Christian faith and also symbolic of rebirth to non-Christians.

To others, it is just a welcome spring holiday.

Eggs signify new life and the onset of the growing season.


Gold eggs signify the sun while silver eggs represent the moon.



Hot Cross Buns


Once again, the eating of hot cross buns stemmed from the Saxon pagan practice of eating as buns
marked with a cross in honour of the goddess Eostre. It is believed that the bun signified the moon
and the cross the moon's quarters. In Christianity, the cross symbolises Christ's death on the cross
- the crucifixion.

[spanone]

6. hey, the easter industry makes bundles of money....don't blow it

another hallmark holiday

[ensho]

8. double true

nt

[Beregond2]

9. Holidays

"Nowhere in the Bible does it celebrate or even mention Easter." This statement by itself is so stupid, it reveals the level of intelligence of the poster. It doesn't mention Christmas either; or Passover, or Purim, or, or, or...

Holidays ("holy days") are established long after the fact, as celebrations of events described in the scriptures. What do you expect, Moses to announce: "OK, all our kids are alive, let's start Passover now!" Or Jesus to say: "Hey look, I'm alive! Let's dye some eggs!"

The Christian church took the stance that it was better to "bless" pagan holidays by incorporating them into their tradition than try to stamp them out. The old observances were given new interpretations, and cultural continuity sustained. How is that a bad thing?

[Berry Cool]

10. Yeah, how IS that a bad thing?

One of the most tiresome aspects of DU is the constant parade of atheists who demand that believers respect THEIR right not to believe, yet each and every year can be counted upon to waste posts "schooling" us all about Saturnalia and Eostre and all the "pagan" symbols that go into the traditions of Christmas and Easter, expecting (apparently) shock, horror and mass conversions to atheism as a result.

I, for one, read about all those traditions as a schoolkid, and have heard Christian ministers discourse on them intelligently and state quite matter-of-factly how various pagan traditions were folded into Christian celebrations many years ago because it was easier to convert early people to Christianity by allowing them to fold their old traditions into it than by scolding them to give up those traditions altogether. These ministers did not regard knowledge of the pagan origin of Christian traditions as a threat to faith; they simply acknowledged them as fact.

Yet there's always someone somewhere who seems to think that by making a "Guess what?? Christian traditions and beliefs have PAGAN ROOTS!!!!" post on DU, it's going to make the scales magically fall from the eyes of all Christians, as this "enlightenment" transforms them all into atheists.

Well...no.

[October]

11. OK, I respectfully disagree

"The Christian church took the stance that it was better to "bless" pagan holidays by incorporating them into their tradition than try to stamp them out. The old observances were given new interpretations, and cultural continuity sustained. How is that a bad thing?"


Um... The Crusades? The Spanish Inquisition? That was not exactly a "blessed" incorporation. It was a very bad thing.








(I edited my heading. I'm not trying to offend -- especially on this high holy day.)

[BlooInBloo]

12. My pinhead has more angels on it than yours does!