What You Didn’t Know…

Easter

When most Christians hear the word Easter, they immediately think of Jesus dying on the cross. However, Eostre (the originally spelling) has nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity. Eostre was (or maybe still is) a goddess from Germany. She was (and maybe still is) the goddess of fertility or some times referred to as the spring goddess. Historians earliest written find of this goddess is in the book, Temprum Ratione, written by the Anglo-Saxon monk, Venerable Bede, "Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated "Paschal month", and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month." No one knows whether this information is true , completely made up, or if Bede misunderstood information given to him. In the end Germans began to create a festival around Eostre and when they migrated to America, they continued to celebrate her. When the Christians in America saw their festivals, they began to incorporate Eoster with Resurrection Day (The original holiday celebrating Jesus’ rise from death) and eventually renamed it Easter. Where do the eggs and bunnies originate? Eostre was often depicted with hares or rabbits and eggs. The rabbits were a symbol of fertility and eggs were a symbol of fertility purity. The Easter egg hunt was originally a symbol of renewal and rebirth (as is the spring time).  So, when you say Happy Easter you are actually referring to a goddess and not Jesus. As for the images on the internet linking Easter and Ishtar those are incorrect. Ishtar was (or maybe still is) a Mesopotamian goddess who ruled over fertility, war, and sexual love. Neither goddesses are related or linked in any way. And that is the 411 on Easter.