Easter has many roots in different cultures

Easter is one of the two major festivals in the Christian calendar but occurring as it does near the Spring Equinox, it is of great antiquity. The word Easter does not occur in the Bible at all. The English name Eastre and the German one Ostern are said to derive from the name of the feast of the Teutonic goddess of Spring, Ostera.

Many, perhaps most, pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration at, or following, the Spring Equinox.

Cybele, the Phrygian fertility goddess, had a consort, Attis, who was believed to have been born via a virgin birth. Attis was believed to have died and been resurrected each year during the period 22 to 25 March.

Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and pagan worship of Attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, Christians used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the same date and pagans and Christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation.

Many religious historians and liberal theologians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with Attis, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. They were simply grafted onto stories of Jesus’s life in order to make Christian theology more acceptable to Pagans.

Two of the popular symbols of this festival are the chocolate egg and the bunny rabbit. The rabbit is one of the oldest symbols of the Spring and the egg is an obvious symbol of rebirth.

Whatever your beliefs, this festival can be celebrated as a very welcome break from the ordinary routine. - George Broadhead, via email.