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4/1/24
By: Callie Beyers
How did the holiday Easter come to be? Well Easter is a Christian holiday but is celebrated by many people all around the world. Like Christmas, Easter has roots in both Christianity and ancient pagan culture. Though it is mostly considered a religious holiday, many of our modern traditions are rooted in pre-Christian practices. Easter actually originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. Easter is the Day we celebrate when Jesus came back. Maggie Johnson, a 6th grader at EJHS said, “ I like Easter because I like to go Easter egg hunting and spending time with my family.”
The reason Easter began and why is because Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, three days after he was crucified by Romans around 30 A.D. "Easter's roots (date back to) a day in the week in which Christ rose from the dead. It would have been the first day of the week after the Jewish Sabbath, which was Saturday," Timothy P.
The true story of Easter is The New Testament gospels are clear that Jesus held the Last Supper; was crucified at Golgotha (Calvary) in Jerusalem (on Good Friday from the Old English 'guode' meaning 'holy') and resurrected three days later from the tomb in which he had been interred (on Easter Sunday) during preparations for Passover.The true story of Easter is The New Testament gospels are clear that Jesus held the Last Supper; was crucified at Golgotha (Calvary) in Jerusalem (on Good Friday from the Old English 'guode' meaning 'holy') and resurrected three days later from the tomb in which he had been interred (on Easter Sunday) during preparations for Passover.
So why does the Easter bunny bring eggs? According to Discovery News, since ancient times, eggs and rabbits have been a symbol of fertility, while spring has been a symbol of rebirth. So even though rabbits don't lay eggs, the association of these symbols was almost natural. And while Christmas was a celebration of the winter solstice, Easter was a celebration of the spring equinox for the pagans. Pagans lived their lives in strong accordance with nature's rhythms and patterns, and solstices and equinoxes were considered to be sacred time. Lynlee Crouch is a 6th grader at EJHS said, “ I like Easter because it’s fun and you get a lot of cool things too.”
And what do they have to do with the resurrection of Jesus? Well, nothing. Bunnies, eggs, Easter gifts and fluffy, yellow chicks in gardening hats all stem from pagan roots. They were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition of honoring the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
As for how the character of the Easter Bunny made its way to America, History.com reports that it was first introduced in the 1700s by German immigrants to Pennsylvania, who reportedly brought over their tradition of an egg-laying hare named "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws" from the Old Country. And why do we hide some eggs at Easter? In many pre-Christian societies eggs held associations with spring and new life. Early Christians adapted these beliefs, making the egg a symbol of the resurrection and the empty shell a metaphor for Jesus' tomb.
Contributors Bio:
Callie Beyers is a 6th grader at EJHS who likes reading writing and spending time with her friends and family.
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