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Prepping;
Why Prep?

Easter
Its Origins, History, and Traditions

Origin of the word "Easter" =

This symbol ">" means:  "comes from"...

> Easter (middle English) > Ester (old English) > Eastre (dawn goddess) > East (Indo-European base word).

Middle English was the English used from 1066 A.D. to 1500 A.D.
Old English was the English 450 A.D. to 1100 A.D.

Easter is the original name of English Spring Festival < (derived from)
Eastre, dawn goddess < (derived from) IE (Indo-European) base: EAST (because the sun rises in the East.

(SOURCE:  Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, 1986)

Brief History of Easter

No one knows exactly how old Easter is.  I can tell you factually that it is older than the Christian religion by centuries (perhaps millennia).  It probably originated in northwestern Europe as a festival that celebrates the renewal of life that happens in nature in the spring.  It was held on the vernal equinox (first day of spring), which is March 21 or 22.  It is called "EASTer" because the sun came from the EAST (and lasted longer and longer in the sky)!!!!!

The so-called "Easter" holiday, which exists today, is somewhat different than the original Easter holiday, but some rituals still exist, even though the meaning of the holiday has changed.

How this

changed to...

this.

This is how things changed:

Around 300 A.D., while people in Europe were still celebrating Easter as a spring festival, the Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire made Christianity the state religion of the whole empire.  Then, the idea was to "ease" the conversion of pagans into the Christian religion by incorporating as much of the local traditions as possible into the new state religion.  Easter was one of the traditions that was incorporated.  Easter nearly coincided with the Christian festival of "Pasch" ("Pascua" in Latin), which is the Christian celebration of the Jewish 'Passover', which also coincides with the commemoration of Jesus' resurrection.


Clipart from ClipartLibrary.com

So, in essence, modern day Easter is a combination of at least three festivals:  (1) festival of Easter, (2) festival of Pasch, (3) festival of Jesus' resurrection.  We still practice some very ancient rituals in the U.K., U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.  Please let me share...

 

Easter Traditions

 


Clipart from ClipartLibrary.com

#1: Coloring Easter Eggs AND the Easter Bunny:   

On the night before Easter, children color hard boiled eggs and set them out for the Easter Bunny.  While the children are sleeping the Easter Bunny comes and hides the eggs around the home.  When the children wake up, they hunt for the eggs and then eat them for breakfast.


Royalty-free clipart from Clipart Library

 

Since around 300 A.D.,  Easter has been chiefly a Christian holiday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  But even non-Christians can (and often do) participate in the ancient rituals of coloring and hunting for Easter eggs.  In fact, it is very common for schools and various organizations to hold special Easter egg hunts before Easter day, in America.

Why Eggs and Bunnies?  

Eggs (especially chicken eggs) and bunnies (rabbits) are symbols of fertility.  Originally the Festival of Easter was held to insure fertility of crops and families.  Eating eggs and carrying rabbits feet around were thought to insure fertility.  Why?  Well, the answer is because eggs are symbolic of procreation, and rabbits are a symbol of plentiful offspring or abundant reproduction.

Now, ...
Why Fish?

#2:  LENT (fasting from red meat and subsituting the eating of fish)

The word "Lent" literally means "lengthening of days" referring to how the days are getting longer and longer.  (Source:  Online Etymology Dictionary).

To Christians, it refers to the 40 days before Easter (always starting with Ash Wednesday).  It commemorates the 40-day fast that Jesus did in the desert before his ministry.  While Jesus possibly fasted from all food (not water); Christians are only asked to fast from red meat and for their protein just eat fish for those 40 days.

It is falling out of tradition, but the Catholic religion still holds this practice.

But, why fish instead of chicken?

My best guess is because Jesus' disciples were mostly fishermen (by the sea of Galilee), and all of them were fishers of men.

And now,...
What does the moon have to do with Easter?

 

#3:  The Timing of Easter:  *When is Easter?*  Why is Easter on a different day each year?

Nowadays Easter is always celebrated during the Catholic Pasch, which is always on the Sunday nearest the first full moon after the vernal equinox.  An 'equinox' is when the sun passes the equator, making day and night of equal length in all parts of the earth.  The vernal equinox occurs about March 21 or March 22.  

The actual day of Pasch is different every year on the Gregorian calendar (which the world collectively uses today).  Why?  Because it is based upon the moon.  Just like the Chinese New Year is on a different day by the Gregorian calendar each year, because the Chinese New Year is based upon the Chinese lunar calendar.

So, people usually have to consult a calendar to find out when Easter is.  Furthermore, Easter (Pasch) is always on a Sunday because traditionally, Christ was resurrected on a Sunday.

DATES of EASTER (Pasch) by the Gregorian Calendar

2022, 4/17
2023, 4/09
2024, 3/31
2025, 4/20
2026, 4/05

Easter is a very important day to Christians, especially Catholics; BUT IT WAS NOT INVENTED by them.  They just "borrowed" the ancient traditions of Easter and dedicated them for their OWN purposes.



See also
Leon's Page on Earth Day



BONUS SECTION (for the adults)

RE:  EASTER ESOTERICS

Astro-theology and Easter?

 

 

FOREWORD:
  Beware False Propaganda 
It is interesting that there are some similarities between astro-theology and the story of Christ.  But, not enough to make a valid case.  In fact, there is ONE HUGE DISCREPANCY.
Christ (who is NOT a solar deity) died and was resurrected during Passover, which is in the spring.
The death of all the solar deities happened on winter solstice, (December 22nd) and there was a rebirth (or a resurrection) 3 days later on December 25th (but that "resurrection" was not complete until spring equinox).

Jesus was resurrected after 3 days (completely).
The solar deities took three months to be resurrected.
That's a HUGE discrepancy.


So, beware that when armchair scholars claim that Jesus was just another sun god.  They don't know what they are talking about.
I've been researching these things for 50 years, and I know exactly what I'm talking about!

Jesus was a REAL person!

 

 

HOWEVER,  There is a relationship between astro-theology and Easter.  (It just has nothing to do with Jesus).

Astro-theology's relationship to Easter

ALL ancient religions had similar traditions, all based upon Astro-theology.  And the relationship to Easter is that the sun was "resurrected" to its highest point in the equatorial sky (March 21st).  Then, it continued to "grow" past the equator (So, that would appear "higher" to us in the Northern Hemisphere) until Summer solstice, after which it began to wane lower and lower in the heavens.  The sun "dies" on December 22nd (winter solstice) and remains "dead" for three days, after which it is reborn and begins to rise again from the "grave" until Easter (spring equinox).  Now, some people (for their nefarious purposes) will try to twist (i.e., gaslight) you into believing that Jesus was just one of these mythological sun-gods, because they have similarities; but here's the irony;  THEY DON'T HAVE SIMILARITIES!!!

Please don't get me wrong.  I absolutely love mythology.  I have a passion for it.  My website is full of mythology, but most of it can be found on my science page (which explains how mythology is just science disguised in personification).  And, I credit the ancients for being a lot more intelligent than scholars give them credit ('cause the scholars just don't get it).

Since I am autistic and I'm all about TRUTH, I have done as much research as I could and hope to elucidate the TRUTH below.  I debunk any alleged connections to Jesus.  See the chart below.  (Please NOTE that Dionysus, Mithra, and Balder are all solar deities who died on December 22nd, and their resurrection began on December 25th and was completed by March 21st.  This is the personification of the sun getting higher and higher in the sky and the days getting longer and longer.)  Jesus died during Passover, which is in the spring.  There is absolutely no relationship.

HORUS
BALDER
DIONYSUS
MITHRA

   

 

Sun God
of Egypt
Birth Virgin Mother? Disciples? Death Rebirth /
Resurrection?
Horus

Horus (the younger) was symbolized by a falcon.  That is because Horus (as the sun) flies across the sky each day.

False teachers will have you believe that Horus was born on Dec.25th
Heralded by a star in the East and adored by 3 kings.

I cannot verify such claims in any valid source.

Nor, do they quote their sources, so I have to accept the possibility that they just made it all up to confuse people, or worse yet, to derail people from the TRUTH.

False teachers say that Isis was a Virgin when she gave birth to Horus.

My research clearly shows otherwise, i.e., that Horus was the son of Isis and the resurrected...

Osiris:


click on image
to learn more

Some claim that Horus had 12 disciples; performed miracles, such as healing the sick and walking on water.

I cannot verify such claims in any valid source.

...because they do not quote their sources.

False teachers will have you believe that Horus was crucified, Dec.22nd, buried, and remained buried for 3 days.

No where can I verify this in a valid source.

False teachers will have you believe that Horus was resurrected by Isis.  The resurrection allegedly began on Dec.25th, and ended on the Spring Equinox.  Since Horus never died, why would he need to be resurrected?  The fact is that Osiris (who is green) died in the winter and was resurrected in the Spring.  Osiris personified all green plants.

< - Osiris

(Notice how Osiris is green?)

God Vishnu
(of India)
in the flesh
Birth Virgin Mother? Disciples? Death Rebirth /
Resurrection?
Krishna False teachers will have you believe that Krishna's birth was heralded by a star in the East.

There was a star mentioned at Krishna's birth: called "Rohini".  It was prominent in the sky at the birth of Krishna.  But, the location in the sky is not mentioned.

Source:  Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(1970, p.35)

False teachers will have you believe that Krisha was born of a virgin.

In fact, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1970, p.42) clearly writes that "to appear in the material world, the Lord selected his mother and father.  Whenever the Lord comes as a human being, He must have a mother and a father."

False teachers will have you believe that Krishna had 12 disciplines.

No where can I verify this.

False teachers will teach that Krishna was killed and resurrected.

In fact, Krishna was killed by an arrow by a man who mistook Krishna for a sleeping deer.

Source:
Wikipedia

No resurrection is ever mentioned.  Vishnu just exited Krishna's body and went back to being a spirit.

False teachers will have you believe that Krishna was resurrected (and at Easter time no less).

I do not believe this is true.  Krishna may have reincarnated at a later time, but he was NOT resurrected.

Furthermore, it is my very strong opinion that the Krishna story is an allegory.

And, I do not believe that Krishna was a solar deity.  The word Krishna means 'black' or 'dark blue'.

Sun God
of Greece
Birth Virgin Mother? Disciples? Death Rebirth /
Resurrection?
Dionysus Dec.25th

Yes.  This is true.

Jesus was not born on December 25th, although that is when we celebrate his birth.

False teachers will have you believe that Dionysus was born of a virgin, named Semele.

In fact, Zeus (representing Light) was the father, and Semele (representing Matter) was the mother.

??? Gave his life on Dec.22nd, and his "blood" became the juice of the grapes of the field.

Yes.  This is true.

Yes!

The resurrection or rebirth of Dionysus (a solar deity) started on December 25th (the end of the winter solstice) and was complete by March 21st (spring equinox).

Sun God
of Persia
Birth Virgin Mother? Disciples? Death Rebirth /
Resurrection?
Mithra Dec.25th

Source

False teachers would have you believe that Mithra was born of a Virgin, named Anahita.

That's just not true.  Mithra was born from a cave.

Learn more.

False teachers would have you believe that Mithra had 12 disciples.

Because Mithraism was a secret cult, there is very little information out there.  What I could amass about it is on my website, but nowhere does anything mention 12 disciples.

December 22nd. Reborn on December 25th.
Sun God
of Norse
Birth Virgin Mother? Disciples? Death Rebirth /
Resurrection?
Baldr
AKA: Balder

Etymologically meaning: Shiny, Gleaming, Blazing

Source

Date not given. False teachers would have you believe that Baldr was born of the virgin Frigga.  That is completely false.  Baldr is the son of Wodin and Frigga, both gods.

Learn more here.

Baldr was a god.  He didn't need any disciples.

 

Killed by Hod on December 22nd by Loki's cunning.

Loki is the personification of darkness, evil, and destruction.

Learn more here.

Yes, by his mother asking Hermod to go and rescue Balder from Hel (AKA:  The Underworld).

It took Hermod 9 days to enter the Underworld and find Balder, and another 9 days to come back out again.  Balder's resurrection took a long time.  He wasn't fully resurrected until March 21st (spring equinox).

 

 

P.S.

Did you know that our solar system has a second sun!
See my  Red Sun Page for more info.

 


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