A Fascinating Look At The Origin Of Easter

The origin of Easter is based on ancient pagan celebrations before the emergence of Christianity. When western religions became recognized  by state laws in the first century CE, Easter celebrations were transferred to Christian holidays and the commercialization by non-Christian traditions like the Easter bunny, Easter parades, and Easter egg  hunting. Although, the ideas of commercial enterprise can be traced back to ancient times along with religious beliefs.

Originally, the celebration of Easter began in the gardens of Adonis, a mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite in Greek mythology. Seeds were sown on the grave of Adonis in early spring. The seed symbolized the dead and risen god. In later centuries at the approach of Easter , Christian women would sow wheat, lentils, and canary seed in plates, which they kept in the dark and watered every two days. Once the plants began to grow, the stalks were tied together with red ribbons and the plates containing them were placed on a monument  with the effigies of the dead Christ that were displayed in Catholic and Greek churches on Good Friday, just as the gardens of Adonis were placed on the grave of the dead god.

The Easter rites of Adonis may have been adapted for the sake of winning souls to Christ. The adaptation probably took place in the Greek-speaking rather than in Latin-speaking parts of the ancient world. The worship of Adonis and The Great Mother, while it flourished among the Greeks, appears to have made little impression  on Rome and the West.

Nevertheless, the death and resurrection of Attis (god of vegetation, in his self-mutilation, death and resurrection) were officially celebrated at Rome on the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of March. Accordingly, some Christians regularly celebrated the crucifixion on that day without any regard to the state of the moon.

The tradition which placed Easter and the death of Christ on the twenty-fifth of March was ancient and deeply rooted. The inference appears to be inevitable. The passion of Christ must have been arbitrarily referred to planting seeds during the spring, harvest in fall, and death of the sun during winter only to be resurrected again in the following spring. This would have harmonized with an older festival of the spring equinox.