Pagan Origins of Easter

Well, some people believe Easter is a fairly new celebration commemorating Joshua’s crucifixion and resurrection. Others are a bit more knowledgeable, and are aware of the Jewish Passover festival, celebrated to commemorate Jewish people’s escape from Egypt. Unfortunately, not many people are aware of the Pagan roots to this festival. They don’t know that for thousands of years, Easter in different forms has been an important part of the human experience. And, it might surprise some, but things like egg hunts, the Easter bunny, and Easter lilies aren’t a new phenomenon brought to us by corporate America. These concepts are so old, their origins get entangled with myth and legend.

We should start by explaining the “scientific” reasons this time of the year has been important to the human race. Ever heard of the Vernal Equinox? There are two times of the year in which the axis of the Earth is in such position (in relation to the sun) that causes day and night to be of equal length: the spring and autumnal equinoxes. Vernal Equinox literally means “equal night,” and it happens during March, marking the first day of spring.

Now, how does all this celestial mumbo jumbo apply to us, earthlings? Simple answer, ancient people found the moment in which the sun stopped freezing the land, and flowers began popping out of everywhere to be a sacred one. Think about it. You are one ancient dude completely conscious of the necessity of understanding the seasons… you know vegetables don’t grow inside a supermarkets’ freezer, and you believe the earth is sacred. Celebrating the sanctity of spring (the time in which people sow) seems then the natural thing to do, eh?

So, what does our contemporary Easter celebration have in common with the old one? Many things. For starters, the word “Easter” comes from the Anglo-Saxon maiden-goddess of fertility, Eostre. You can link her to other Ancient goddesses, as the Middle East’s Ishtar/Astarte, or to the Roman goddess Aurora. The basic principle of Easter was to rejoice in the arrival of spring, and thank Eostre for the re-birth of the Earth.

In the Mediterranean region, there was a pre-Christian spring celebration that honored Cybele, the Phrygian goddess of fertility. Cybele’s partner, Attis, was considered born of a virgin and was believed to have died and been resurrected three days later. Attis story is similar to other earlier gods, Osiris, Dionysus, and Orpheus. What do all of them have in common? They all are supposed to have been born of a virgin and suffered death and resurrection as long as 500 years before Christ was born. Sounds familiar? Contemporary Easter might have more Pagan roots than we thought.

Well, how do eggs fit the picture? Eggs have always been a symbol of fertility. They were, along with hares (bunnies), symbols for the goddess Eostre. The ancient Babylonians, as well as the Egyptians, had rituals involving painted eggs. The Egyptians thought the moon-child Hathor, son of Isis (who was born out of an egg, as tradition has it), laid the Golden Egg of the Sun. This “Golden Egg” hides for a good portion of the year, but comes out in spring. This explains the origin of painting eggs with bright colors and hiding them from children. This is a game/ritual commemorating the Golden Egg’s return.

What about the Easter Bunny? Aside from hares being a symbol for Eostre, hares were the Easter symbol of the divine for Ancient Egyptians as well. You can see how all these symbols repeat trough thousands of years and have similar manifestations in different places. In Germany, tradition has it the Easter Hare gives eggs filled with chocolate to children. Also, the Easter lily is an ancient symbol for male genitalia. You never thought giving away lilies during Easter was equivalent to praising the linga, I bet.

So, what have we learnt here? Aside from drugs and alcohol being bad, and having unprotected sex being bad as well, we learned that we really haven’t changed much as human beings. We like to celebrate stuff, even if we don’t know why. And the stuff we celebrate isn’t as hip and new as we all once thought and it isn’t created by corporate America either. In fact, corporate America cannot come up with one original idea even if it bumped us on the head. How else would you explain the existence of such tv shows like American Idol, Newlyweds, and (for you, locals) Objetivo Fama?