ALT-3 The Pagan Roots to Easter Traditions
Easter is a holiday that predates Christianity by several thousand years. The name itself is taken from ancient beliefs: Eastre (also called Ostara) is a Goddess, whose Feast celebrates the dawning of the new Spring, the end of the dark half of the year, and the true return of the Sun.
It is easy to see why adopting this holiday was so crucial to the early Christian Church; without a version of it, converted followers would be 'left in the cold' in a very real respect - to the superstitious citizens of Imperial and Free Europe, there must be a Holy Day to mark the Rise of the Sun (Son), or Winter might not end. On this day, traditionally the Vernal Equinox, the sun rises due East: even the Anglo name for the direction takes its name from this ancient Goddess.
Other aspect of today's Easter celebrations have also been adapted from pre-Christian belief systems. The Easter Bunny follows from the worship of Eastre herself; the rabit was her totem. The first birthing of Spring would shortly be followed by the first laying of eggs.
In this context, it was believed, the arrival of Eastre's rabbits brought on the laying of eggs, which chickens and other birds tend to hide, in an effort to hatch an early brood of chicks. Hence the Eastre egg hunt. If one could find an egg on Eastre's day, it would herald a good omen for the year ahead.
Even the Pagan Romans held a Feast to mark the Vernal Equinox. The followers of Dionysus, for example, would bake a kind of hard bread, to be eaten with wine Dionysus was known for, to commemorate the brutal death of their God on behalf of mankind, and his Resurection on 'the day the light returns'. They would 'eat of His body' to honor his sacrifice.
Many other, older faiths tell of Gods who rose from the dead, proving their divinity. Dionysus is merely one example. Other commonly known Sons of God, Gods themselves, who underwent a terrible death, to save mankind from some metaphysical darkness, then experienced The Resurrection, include Osiris, Adonis, Odin (who was even jabbed with a Spear), their counterparts in other regions, and many others.
Easter, from its religious underpinnings, to its peculiar celebrations and traditions, is far older than the Church that now claims it. Every aspect of the holiday, from the Resurection itself, to the famous Easter Egg Hunt, is as old as human belief.
