History of Easter - Christmas Central (2024)

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History of Easter - Christmas Central? ›

Easter actually originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. In Christianity, the day was dedicated to observing the resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated around the time of the Jewish Passover.

Christmas was based on Saturnaria and the Winter Solstice both Roman pagan holidays while Easter arose from the Jewish celebration of the Passover holiday (not pagan). However, many of the later trappings of Easter like the Easter bunny, Easter eggs and so on, were from various pagan origins.

Well, it turns out Easter actually began as a pagan festival celebrating spring in the Northern Hemisphere, long before the advent of Christianity. "Since pre-historic times, people have celebrated the equinoxes and the solstices as sacred times," University of Sydney Professor Carole Cusack said.

The Feast of Easter, the Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, is the central Feast of the Church. It is God's definitive answer to death. Nothing is stronger nor more powerful than He. Through the Resurrection, God has conquered both sin and death.

"Easter" is linked to the pagan springtime goddess Eostre, according to Hann. Celebrated during the spring equinox, Eostre was first documented in the eighth century and is associated with some Easter traditions that have lasted to this day.

The Bible doesn't mention Christmas, Easter or Halloween, so these traditions are not Bible teachings. There's an scripture dating from approx 650 BCE, that mentions adorned trees, but not in a positive way: Jeremiah 10:3–5 “For the customs of the peoples are a Delusion.

Yet many people miss that the word Easter is found in one very common translation of the English Bible. The venerable Authorized or King James Version (KJV) uses the word Easter in one verse in Acts 12.4.

Easter is one of the principal holidays, or feasts, of Christianity. It marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christian churches, Easter is the joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence.

Additionally, the reason Catholics come to Mass on Sunday rather than any other day of the week is because that is the day that Jesus rose from the dead—the day of the Resurrection. Focus on the Resurrection doesn't come from any lack of attention to the Crucifixion but rather a result of our focus on it.

Eggs represent new life and rebirth, and it's thought that this ancient custom became a part of Easter celebrations. In the medieval period, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent (the 40 days before Easter) so on Easter Sunday, tucking into an egg was a real treat!

When was Jesus actually born? ›

The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating. However, most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that his birth date is around 4 to 6 BC.

We have been told that the early church began this practice right after Christ's death, burial and resurrection. There was some disagreement about the date and method of celebrating Easter in the church so Constantine addressed that issue at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.

Writings from the 17th century in Germany describe the “Oschter Haws” (Easter hare) for the first time. According to folklore, the Easter hare would lay colorful eggs in the nests (baskets) of well behaved children. German immigrants brought this tradition of the Easter Bunny to the United States in the 18th century.

Early celebrations of Christmas are thought to have derived from Roman and other European festivals that marked the end of the harvest, and the winter solstice. Some customs from those celebrations that have endured include decorating homes with greenery, giving gifts, singing songs, and eating special foods.

The Christmas festival, including the Christmas tree, is said to have origins in Egypt. The Egyptians would have used twelve-limbed palm trees as a symbol of a closed year at the winter solstice – and our Christmas tree is said to return to this custom.

Christmas, Easter and Pentecost are the three major Christian festivals. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. Easter is about his death.

God the Son was born as Jesus of Nazareth, born in the city of Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. Although we don't know exactly what day Jesus was born, we chose December 25, Christmas, to celebrate his birth.