Next Question
This happened when Christianity was introduced into Celtic countries. Easter coincides with Jewish Passover due to the timing of Christ's death and resurrection. Passover is a spring holiday.
When trying to convert the Celtic peoples to Christianity, the missionaries of the time used symbols and holidays the Celts were familiar with to communicate the new beliefs. There was a spring holiday, Eostre, that happened right about the same time as Passover (the Greek Christians originally just kept the Jewish name; later it was called Resurrection Sunday). The Germanic tribes, who had an almost-identical holiday, were converted later. The holiday substitution had been so successful for the Celts that it was carried over for the Germans, too.
Eostre as a holiday celebrated new life, just as Christian Easter celebrates Christ's return to life and a new spiritual life promised to believers. They're both about beginnings, and that's what the missionaries tried to express.
The Celtic holiday's symbolism included the baby animals born during spring. Any wonder that rabbits were one symbol?*
From the pre-Viking raids through to modern times, the Celtic symbolism has survived. It's only in recent decades, where it's become more common for people to move away from traditional Christianity, that we've seen more Christian holidays without their Christian meaning in the general culture.
*Although if the Celts had been in my area they might have picked skunks. I see so many as roadkill this time of year. Do they reproduce as fast as rabbits, or are rabbits better at dodging cars? I'm just glad not to have visits from the Easter Skunk.
Source(s):
http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/history/easter_history.htm
Graduate class on the early history of Europe
http://www.elk-wue.de/landeskirche/international-information/ on missionaries from the Irish Church in the British Isles sending missionaries to the Germanic tribes
http://www.irishchristian.net/history/annals.html For dates of Irish Celtic Church history
Permalink | Report
Source(s):
http://snopes.com/holidays/easter/easterlore.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter
Helpful Answer?
(1)
(2)
Permalink |
Report
Permalink | Report
http://atheism.about.com/od/easterholidayseason/p/PaganChristian.htm
http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/pagan_roots_of_easter_customs
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/157283/Easter_s_Pagan_Roots_and_Other_Facts_You_Didn_t_Know
Permalink | Report
http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103208/
Permalink | Report
One that I found on a radical Protestant website, was the the Antichrist is coming and the end of the world is near because Easter Eggs (under a new name) were becoming popular with Protestants. I find this highly unlikely.
The other is that real Easter is simply a much nicer holiday than the Christian Easter. On the one hand you celebrate the arrival of Spring with cute bunnies and colored eggs. On the other hand you have a religious prophet being tortured to death by ancient Romans for sedition. Given a choice (now without threats of violence from the organized churches) people will choose the real Easter.
Permalink | Report
http://www.sgbrooks.com/art/portfolio/sgbrooks_eostre.jpg
(my earlier illustration doesn't show up because of file label)
Report
Ironic isn't it that a non-Christian symbol of renewal, the bunny, after being used by Christians missionaries to help explain the main concept of Easter: the Resurrection, later pushed the Christian meaning aside and took over as the symbol of this "holy-day"?
I do this all the time. I get caught up in someone's really good example used to explain an idea and completely miss or forget the point.
Source(s):
A Catholic explanation: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm
Permalink | Report
It is less clear how the specifics of the kid's story came about, but like many stories (Santa, etc.) it has become much more commercialized in the 20th and 21st centuries.
While some people think it is strange that 'pagan' traditions still exist in Christian celebrations, it is very common in European Christian traditions, including many Christmas traditions like the Christmas tree.
Also, some 'Irish saints' have Celtic predecessors, and there are a variety of other cases. It's not that strange to see this sort of 'mixing' -- almost every 'major' religion integrates some local custom and culture as it spreads across culturally diverse areas, even if later they try to deny it. Celebrations often mix traditions from multiple sources, and Buddhism combined with a wide variety of local influences, for example. It's actually rarer to find an old tradition that has never changed or combined with anything.
Source(s):
I studied comparative mythology once. Also, I answered a similar question on MA in December, so I gave part of that answer here as well - hope that's okay (do I need to cite myself?).
Permalink | Report
The appearance of a rabbit as a creature that lays brightly colored eggs as gifts for children is documented in Germany in the 1500s, where kids eagerly awaited the arrival of the Oschter Haws. The tradition seems to have been brought to America in the 1700s by settlers, where the Easter Bunny became firmly established as a popular symbol of Easter. Germans are also credited with creating the first edible rabbits (pastry-based) in the 1800s.
The character of the "Easter bunny" first appeared in 16th-century German writings, which said that if well-behaved children built a nest out of their caps or bonnets, they would be rewarded with colored eggs. This legend became part of American folklore in the 18th century, when German immigrants settled in the eastern U.S.
Today, the Easter business is a huge commercial venture - Americans spend nearly $1.2 billion a year on Easter candy, and another $500 million on Easter decorations each year.
So Easter is a celebration of spring and renewal. The current celebration has its roots firmly in pagan myths. No matter its roots though, Easter is a promise of new growth ahead, and a new start on the ever turning wheel of the year.
Source(s):
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/ostarathespringequinox/p/EasterEggs.htm
http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/pagan_origins_of_spring_myths
Permalink | Report
Answered Question
Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| March 30, 2009 03:03 AM |
When trying to convert the Celtic peoples to Christianity, the missionaries of the time used symbols and holidays the Celts were familiar with to communicate the new beliefs. There was a spring holiday, Eostre, that happened right about the same time as Passover (the Greek Christians originally just kept the Jewish name; later it was called Resurrection Sunday). The Germanic tribes, who had an almost-identical holiday, were converted later. The holiday substitution had been so successful for the Celts that it was carried over for the Germans, too.
Eostre as a holiday celebrated new life, just as Christian Easter celebrates Christ's return to life and a new spiritual life promised to believers. They're both about beginnings, and that's what the missionaries tried to express.
The Celtic holiday's symbolism included the baby animals born during spring. Any wonder that rabbits were one symbol?*
From the pre-Viking raids through to modern times, the Celtic symbolism has survived. It's only in recent decades, where it's become more common for people to move away from traditional Christianity, that we've seen more Christian holidays without their Christian meaning in the general culture.
*Although if the Celts had been in my area they might have picked skunks. I see so many as roadkill this time of year. Do they reproduce as fast as rabbits, or are rabbits better at dodging cars? I'm just glad not to have visits from the Easter Skunk.
Source(s):
http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/history/easter_history.htm
Graduate class on the early history of Europe
http://www.elk-wue.de/landeskirche/international-information/ on missionaries from the Irish Church in the British Isles sending missionaries to the Germanic tribes
http://www.irishchristian.net/history/annals.html For dates of Irish Celtic Church history
| Asker's Rating: |
• Great explanation and great links
Permalink | Report
Reply
Other Answers (8)
March 30, 2009 03:04 AM
Between them, Snopes and Wikipedia should tell you all you need to know.
Source(s):
http://snopes.com/holidays/easter/easterlore.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter
Helpful Answer?
(1)
(2)
Helpful: thechadwick
Unhelpful: jeffhoard, darcy logan
Tip robotech_master for this answer
Reply
March 30, 2009 12:39 PM
Your sources are good; but, it is not considered a good Mahalo answer to just point to sources. You have to write something yourself.
Report
March 30, 2009 03:22 AM
Saxons celebrated spring with a festival commemorating their goddess Eastre. The second century Christians encountered tribes in the north with their pagan celebrations, as it happened the pagan festival of Easre was the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ.The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The Bunny originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.
Permalink | Report
Reply
March 30, 2009 03:28 AM
I think that the better question would be, how did a pagan holiday about renewal and fertility transition into a christian holiday? The pagan roots of Easter are well established and the original holiday was a celebration of the spring equinox. Bunnies and eggs were fertility symbols of the original holiday/celebration, which was pretty much co-opted and incorporated by the christian church. http://atheism.about.com/od/easterholidayseason/p/PaganChristian.htm
http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/pagan_roots_of_easter_customs
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/157283/Easter_s_Pagan_Roots_and_Other_Facts_You_Didn_t_Know
Permalink | Report
Reply
March 30, 2009 12:14 PM
Yes, the question is definitely backwards. The original holiday was Easter, with her hare (not rabbit, but few pay attention to the difference). In most languages the Christian Easter still called by a version of the name Passover, which is another story of the Christians plagiarizing another religion's holiday.
Let's put the Easter back in Easter! Rabbits and Eggs!
Report
Let's put the Easter back in Easter! Rabbits and Eggs!
March 30, 2009 12:28 PM
But that's not the question that was asked. When you say "original" holiday, you're then asking in the context of your new question. The asker wants the answer to a question in which the Christian holiday is the original: starting at Jesus and ending at Easter bunnies.
MA works best when we attempt to help the asker instead of answering something that was not asked--especially when turning it upside down could be offensive to the asker.
Report
MA works best when we attempt to help the asker instead of answering something that was not asked--especially when turning it upside down could be offensive to the asker.
March 30, 2009 01:46 PM
In this case, describing the question as backwards does go a long way to answering the question. If you don't know that the Christian holiday was superimposed on the original Easter, you would indeed be puzzled about the rabbits and eggs. My own answer stresses why the return to the old holiday.
Report
March 30, 2009 04:06 PM
@tracebrooks
History is sometimes offensive. The celebration of the spring equinox as a cycle of rebirth/renewal is ancient, far preceding the ancient Anglo Saxon/Celtic goddess Eostre. The early Christian church in an effort to convert and keep members co-opted many rituals and symbols of pagan cultures. This is also why Christmas is celebrated in winter, when in fact according to biblical text the birth of Christ occurred in the spring. Which is truly offensive when one considers the christian persecution of paganism.
On the other hand, given that the asker posted a picture of Jesus riding a bunny, I am not sure that he would be offended by my response.
http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Censorship/Christian%20Intolerance.htm
http://ethnikoi.org/persecutions.html
Report
History is sometimes offensive. The celebration of the spring equinox as a cycle of rebirth/renewal is ancient, far preceding the ancient Anglo Saxon/Celtic goddess Eostre. The early Christian church in an effort to convert and keep members co-opted many rituals and symbols of pagan cultures. This is also why Christmas is celebrated in winter, when in fact according to biblical text the birth of Christ occurred in the spring. Which is truly offensive when one considers the christian persecution of paganism.
On the other hand, given that the asker posted a picture of Jesus riding a bunny, I am not sure that he would be offended by my response.
http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Censorship/Christian%20Intolerance.htm
http://ethnikoi.org/persecutions.html
March 30, 2009 03:50 AM
There is a wonderful documentary about this done by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. You should definitely check it out. http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103208/
Permalink | Report
Reply
March 30, 2009 12:48 PM
Your question is backwards as Easter came first. However, to answer what you have asked, there are two main theories. One that I found on a radical Protestant website, was the the Antichrist is coming and the end of the world is near because Easter Eggs (under a new name) were becoming popular with Protestants. I find this highly unlikely.
The other is that real Easter is simply a much nicer holiday than the Christian Easter. On the one hand you celebrate the arrival of Spring with cute bunnies and colored eggs. On the other hand you have a religious prophet being tortured to death by ancient Romans for sedition. Given a choice (now without threats of violence from the organized churches) people will choose the real Easter.
Permalink | Report
Reply
March 30, 2009 01:51 PM
(my earlier illustration doesn't show up because of file label)
March 30, 2009 02:59 PM
I would like to improve my answer with a rough timeline of the restoration of the rabbit:
1500's, in Germany pastry rabbits and candy eggs become popular for Easter. German is the other language besides English to use Easter as a name for the Christian holiday instead of a variant of Passover.
1700's, German colonists, known as Pennsylvania Dutch, bring their Easter traditions to America.
mid 1800's industrial improvements allow the invention of chocolate confections cheap enough for ordinary people.
circa 1900, plush animals begin to become popular, starting with the Teddy bear dedicated to Teddy Roosevelt but invented in Germany.
mid 20th century American corporations and mass marketing promote plush and chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs world wide.
Report
1500's, in Germany pastry rabbits and candy eggs become popular for Easter. German is the other language besides English to use Easter as a name for the Christian holiday instead of a variant of Passover.
1700's, German colonists, known as Pennsylvania Dutch, bring their Easter traditions to America.
mid 1800's industrial improvements allow the invention of chocolate confections cheap enough for ordinary people.
circa 1900, plush animals begin to become popular, starting with the Teddy bear dedicated to Teddy Roosevelt but invented in Germany.
mid 20th century American corporations and mass marketing promote plush and chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs world wide.
March 30, 2009 01:51 PM
Which came first? Ironic isn't it that a non-Christian symbol of renewal, the bunny, after being used by Christians missionaries to help explain the main concept of Easter: the Resurrection, later pushed the Christian meaning aside and took over as the symbol of this "holy-day"?
I do this all the time. I get caught up in someone's really good example used to explain an idea and completely miss or forget the point.
Source(s):
A Catholic explanation: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm
Permalink | Report
Reply
March 30, 2009 08:29 PM
Rabbits and eggs were both symbols of fertility in parts of pagan Europe (eggs for obvious reasons, rabbits for the reason that some people use the phrase "they -----ed like rabbits."). Spring festivals that celebrated new life had many traditions and symbols that were meaningful to many communities, and some of these traditions continued in different form even when the 'pagan' religions themselves disappeared or went underground. It is less clear how the specifics of the kid's story came about, but like many stories (Santa, etc.) it has become much more commercialized in the 20th and 21st centuries.
While some people think it is strange that 'pagan' traditions still exist in Christian celebrations, it is very common in European Christian traditions, including many Christmas traditions like the Christmas tree.
Also, some 'Irish saints' have Celtic predecessors, and there are a variety of other cases. It's not that strange to see this sort of 'mixing' -- almost every 'major' religion integrates some local custom and culture as it spreads across culturally diverse areas, even if later they try to deny it. Celebrations often mix traditions from multiple sources, and Buddhism combined with a wide variety of local influences, for example. It's actually rarer to find an old tradition that has never changed or combined with anything.
Source(s):
I studied comparative mythology once. Also, I answered a similar question on MA in December, so I gave part of that answer here as well - hope that's okay (do I need to cite myself?).
Permalink | Report
Reply
March 30, 2009 11:12 PM
Easter Bunny was was associated with the Pagan celebration of the goddess Eostre, from whom the word Easter is derived. Eostre was associated with fertility, so was connected to both hares and eggs as symbols. The hare is also symbolically associated with the moon and therefore may have indirectly become associated with Easter since the date of Easter is determined by the phases of the moon (the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring Equinox, March 21). An article from the About.com's Paganism / Wicca site gives more details of the Pagan origins of both the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs. The appearance of a rabbit as a creature that lays brightly colored eggs as gifts for children is documented in Germany in the 1500s, where kids eagerly awaited the arrival of the Oschter Haws. The tradition seems to have been brought to America in the 1700s by settlers, where the Easter Bunny became firmly established as a popular symbol of Easter. Germans are also credited with creating the first edible rabbits (pastry-based) in the 1800s.
The character of the "Easter bunny" first appeared in 16th-century German writings, which said that if well-behaved children built a nest out of their caps or bonnets, they would be rewarded with colored eggs. This legend became part of American folklore in the 18th century, when German immigrants settled in the eastern U.S.
Today, the Easter business is a huge commercial venture - Americans spend nearly $1.2 billion a year on Easter candy, and another $500 million on Easter decorations each year.
So Easter is a celebration of spring and renewal. The current celebration has its roots firmly in pagan myths. No matter its roots though, Easter is a promise of new growth ahead, and a new start on the ever turning wheel of the year.
Source(s):
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/ostarathespringequinox/p/EasterEggs.htm
http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/pagan_origins_of_spring_myths
Permalink | Report
Reply
Answer this Question
Related Questions
Ask a Question
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal
Top Members
Most Popular Tags
Categories
- Anonymous
-
Arts & Design
-
Beauty & Style
-
Books & Authors
-
Business
-
Cars & Transportation
-
Consumer Electronics
- Coupons Deals
-
Education
-
Entertainment
-
Environment
-
Fitness
-
Food & Drink
- From Email
- From Iphone
- From Twitter
-
Health
-
History
-
Hobbies
-
Home & Garden
-
How Tos
-
Humor
-
Jobs
-
Legal
-
Local
-
Love & Relationships
-
Mahalo Answers Community
-
Money
-
Music
-
News
-
NSFW
-
Parenting
-
Pets
-
Science & Mathematics
-
Services
-
Shopping
-
Social Science
-
Society & Culture
-
Sports
-
Technology & Internet
-
Travel
-
Video Games
Welcome New Members
- angelat_01, November 09, 2009 07:29 AM
- prowebguru, November 09, 2009 07:13 AM
- aqsa, November 09, 2009 07:08 AM
- jessicap, November 09, 2009 06:52 AM
- antonchihuahua, November 09, 2009 06:34 AM
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.
Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.
Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More
The one that puzzles me is the raccoon. They seem quick and alert, but still are among the commonest road kill.