Why Is Easter Day Celebrated? Origin & History Explained In Detail

Why Is Easter Celebrated: The day of Easter has fallen on April 09, this year. As a moveable feast, Easter counts immense significance and is symbolized as a harbinger of light, brightness, and good hope. Not a typical mainstream Christian festival, Easter day bears more salience than just being a festival rather bolstered the propagation of Christianity than the precursor Pagan religion. Frankly speaking, Easter has a complicated ‘history of origin’. 

Discendenting the same ‘root’ of the ancient ‘Pagan’ religion, today Easter is one of the most pious commemorations among Christians across the world which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion and embracing Spring as a season of fertility and hope simultaneously. As per Bible, the actual date of the establishment of Easter is still unknown but the 2nd century is presumed as the beginner for its commemoration. There are myriads of speculations regarding religious myths and histories that still prevail in the modern world and we are going to succinctly unveil them in this article.

Why Is Easter Celebrated? Unfold The Origin, History, & Facts

‘Easter’ is one of the most venerable holy holidays among Christians, embeds a fascinating historical origin within itself. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the First Full Moon in Spring Equinox which takes place between March 22 to April 25. Theosophically, Easter has a complicated root. However, in terms of a core root, it used to be cherished by ancient Pagans (early or non-Christians of the Roman Empire who practised polyethism and paved a different path of reverence than Judaism) after Spring Equinox as a festival of fertility. Later on, when Christianity proliferated through Christ’s disciples, the concept of Christians’ resurrection and the myth of Hebrews’ Jewish Passover were eventually merged with Pagans’ Spring festival and made a solid and overall existence of Easter. So. that’s how Easter formed and symbolized a pious holiday of hope, light, and prosperity among all Christians across the world.

**Jewish Passover and Resurrection are the same things. The only difference is Resurrection is believed by Christians whereas Jewish Passover or Pascha is a Hebrew thought espoused by Judaism religion. Judaism is contemplated as the parent root of Christianity and Islamic religion later on. 

History Of Easter From The Etymological Perspective

The name ‘Easter’ was derived from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxan goddess of fertility. It also cognates Dutch and German Ooster and Ostern that eventually appeared as Eastrun to Eostre. However, to subside all related turmoil regarding the etymology, the 8th century’s famous Christian saine Bede substantiated the naming of Easter dripped from Eostre itself.  

Central Reasons For Celebrating Easter

Like the divergence of etymology, the reasons that intricate Easter and its commemoration are quite vibrant. However, scholars have finally come to certain conclusions to establish probable reasons for Easter. These are as follows

• Easter is cherished to celebrate the holy ritual of resurrection which is analogous to the Jewish’ Passover (or Pascha in Greek) festival that ritualizes the Jewish exodus from Slavery through the sacrifice of Jesus’s life

• Marking Spring as a season of a new start. This is because, after the prolonged phase of cold winter in the N. Hemisphere, the season gradually alters into bright, light summer phasing through Spring. Hence, the season is taken as an emblem of fertility, and good hopes.

Controversies Related To Easter Date

There are numerous theories regarding the date and day of Easter followed by its first appreciation. This is because the entire celebration of Easter embeds a fusion origin. While Christians of Germany, mainland Europe and England embrace a different germinative relevance for the day, Jewish pampers slightly a different belief. However, keeping asides all confoundment, there is one thing that all sects of Christians believe which intricates the day of commemoration. Every year, after the 1st Full Moon of Spring or Vernal Equinox the immediate Sunday is globally accepted as an Easter day. Being a moveable feast, the day falls between March 21 to April 25 each year. However, all probable confusions regarding the Easter date were resolved by the First Council of Nicaea, under the discretion of Emperor Constantine in 325 AD and strictly stringent to the Lunisolar calendar from then onwards. 

Common Traditions Used To Celebrate Easter

As a symbol of good deeds, life, hope, and happiness, Easter day is involved with multiple common traditions which amalgamate both older and newer beliefs. These are as follows.

• Easter Eggs: One of the most distinguished features of the Easter Festival. The reason for its inclusion shares its history with the ancient Pagan religion and Ancient Babylonian tradition. It was presumed that an egg fell from heaven to the holy Euphrates River which eventually ‘hatched’ and gave birth to the goddess of fertility, Asther, Asthur or Easter. Thus, eggs are holy and most inclusive entity of Easter.

• Easter Bunny: Resembling the shape of eggs, bunnies play another significance in the day. One of the Northern goddesses of the Pagan religion is associated with rabbits and hare who was emblemized for flourishment, fertility, and messenger of new generations. Henceforth, bunnies are taken as messengers of good things, and luck.

• White Lily: White Lillies are used as symbols of pristinity and purity. Hence, the usage of white lilies is found preponderant on the day.

This was a brief of Easter Day, entailed succinctly. I hope you’ve found it relevant and useful. Wish you a happy and prosperous Easter ahead. Enjoy and have full. Also stay tuned with us for such interesting stories.