The History Of Easter

The history of Easter is a fascinating one with diverse roots, and is the most widely observed Christian holiday. The day signals a time of celebration and renewal. The holiday occurs with the onset of spring, a time of new life and rejuvenation with blooming flowers and budding trees. Springtime is greatly anticipated especially after a long, cold winter. Refreshing spring rains fall and together with increased hours of daylight bring plants long dormant back to life as, "The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land" (Song of Solomon 2:12). The season itself is a picture of life's renewal and victory over death making a perfect time for Christians to observe the resurrection of Jesus. Christ's followers are not the only ones to celebrate the holiday, in fact, the day has a history that pre-dates the early Church and includes pagan origins.


Before there were even dates for Easter Sunday there were celebrations. The word 'Easter' is believed to have originated from Teutonic mythology. The Anglo-Saxons lived during the medieval times in England and were of Germanic descent. They worshiped the goddess of spring, Eostre. The name was derived from Eastre, an Old English term meaning east, or the direction from the east. They dedicated the month of April to the goddess Eostre, and held celebrations in her honor at the time of the vernal equinox. The vernal, or spring, equinox, occurs on a day that has exactly twelve equal hours of daylight and nighttime. Christian missionaries eventually came to the Germanic peoples and slowly shifted the focus from worship of the goddess, celebrations at springtime and revelry of the season, to the observance of Christ's resurrection, ultimately adding more to the history of Easter. The early church kept March twenty-first as the date, due to the vernal equinox, and the start of celebrations.

Christian celebrations and dates for Easter Sunday resulted as a mixing of traditions. The Jewish Passover encompasses a span of eight days and is in memorial for the Jews escape and freedom from Egypt. The Jews based their observance of Easter on the lunar calendar of the Babylonians. The timing of the Passover was based on the moon, and Jews held festivities on the evening of the full moon. The Jewish Passover occurs during the first month of the Hebrew lunar New Year, Nissan, however, this meant that the date was subject to change from year to year since the full moon does not occur on the same date every year. Many of the early Christians were raised as Jews, which gives credence to why a good number of them felt the necessity of observing the holiday as a part of the Passover which included observance of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. However, Christians chose to celebrate on Sunday, which many viewed as the first day of the week. The resurrection in 30 A.D was thought of as another event of the Passover, and was celebrated right after. Modern celebrations and dates for Easter Sunday share similarities with the dates of the Jewish Passover.

Confusion concerning the exact dates for Easter Sunday causes many to wonder and inquire into the history of Easter. The different dates resulted from differing opinions between churches in the east and west. Those in the East believed the holiday should be observed on a weekday due to the original date in conjunction with the fourteenth of Nissan. Those in the west felt that Easter should always be observed on a Sunday, no matter what the actual date might be. The disputes led to the Council of Nicaea, held in 325 A.D. by the emperor Constantine. The ruling of the council was that the Sunday after the full moon of the vernal equinox should be the time for celebrations. Following this decision there were still complications due to the act that there was not a specific date for the Spring Equinox. After some calculations by the Alexandrians, the date was decided to be March twenty-first. Therefore, since some believed the holiday should be observed on a Sunday, the date can fall as early as March twenty-first or as late as April twenty-fifth.

The history and dates of Easter Sunday were made more complex with the addition and observance other days as well. For example, the observance of Good Friday did not come about until the fourth century. Lent is a period of forty-six days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday. Those who observe Lent view the time as one of penitence for sins, and as a time to prepare for the glorious celebrations of the Easter. Palm Sunday originates with Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem.

Like many holidays, Easter has been subject to secularization. However, the symbols generally associated with the holiday have deep roots. For example, the Anglo Saxons worshiped the goddess of springtime, Eastre, whose earthly symbol is a rabbit. The iconic Easter rabbit was originally brought to America by the Germans. The egg also has roots that existed before the Christian holiday. For example, not only are they a symbol of fertility but were originally exchanged as a custom at springtime, and were decorated by being wrapped with leaves and flowers. The tradition of painting eggs in different colors was so the eggs would resemble spring's sunlight, and help to make the history of Easter more colorful.

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