You probably already knew about Easter's Christian roots. The theological aspect of the holiday is certainly significant. Did you know, though, that Easter has some roots in paganism as well? It's true; like Christmas, Easter is partly an adaptation of an ancient pagan festival. Knowing a little about this rich history can add a lot of depth to your celebration of this great spring holiday.
Theology
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Though not as commercially successful as Christmas, Easter is generally considered to be the most important theological event for Christians. The New Testament of the Bible teaches the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as a foundation of Christian faith. Easter is the celebration of this event.
The New Testament teaches that Jesus came as the fulfillment of the Jewish prophecies regarding the coming Messiah. It was believed that the Messiah would be sent by God to bring spiritual salvation and to unite the twelve tribes of Israel.
Indeed, the New Testament teaches that Jesus came to bring salvation to people of all nations and to offer a personal relationship with God to those who would believe.
According to the New Testament scriptures, Jesus was and is the ultimate fulfillment of Old Testament law, in which animals had to be sacrificed for the atonement of sin. Jesus' death by crucifixion on Good Friday was for the purpose of taking the place of that sacrifice, his living a sinless life making him the perfect atonement for sin. His resurrection on the third day (Easter Sunday) was his victory over sin and death, making it possible for those who believe to be united with God both in the present and throughout eternity.
Date
Christ's crucifixion, according to theologians, happened on a Friday near or during the Jewish Passover celebration, with his resurrection (the first Easter) coming on the following Sunday.
The modern placement of the celebration of Easter is a little complicated, though it always falls on a Sunday somewhere between March 22 and April 25. It was decided at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 that all churches should celebrate Easter on the same date. They came up with a way to calculate the date each year. The simple explanation is that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the vernal equinox (first day of spring). In reality, a complex mathematical formula is used to calculate the date.
There are different church denominations, however, that use a separate date. Western Christianity uses the Gregorian calendar (standard calendar), while some Eastern Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar. There is a 13-day difference between the calendars that causes these church denominations to celebrate Easter on separate days. In terms of the Gregorian calendar, Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter between April 4 and May 8.
TIP: Look at this website to see when Easter will fall each year (standard calendar only).
Name
The name "Easter" has roots in paganism rather than Christianity or even monotheism (the belief in only one god). Most scholars agree that the name stems from the goddess Eostre of Anglo-Saxon paganism. The story is that after the death of Nimrod, a grandson of Noah (of ark-building fame), his wife, Queen Semiramis, had him deified as the Sun-god (later known as Baal). Later, Semiramis gave birth to an illegitimate son, Tammuz, and claimed that he was Nimrod reborn. This led to the deification of both Tammuz and Semiramis, the latter being seen as the goddess of fertility. Other cultures ascribe her the names Ishtar, Ashtur, and Eostre or Easter. After the death of Tammuz, Semiramis started a spring ritual that would later be reconstituted as Easter.
Hoping to take the focus off the somewhat nefarious origin of the term Easter, many modern Christians have renamed the holiday "Resurrection Sunday."
The history of Easter and the meaning behind it are fascinating. This information has just been a small glimpse into the subject. There are volumes worth of information available to those who wish to take their study of Easter to a deeper level.