Ēostre ([ˈeːostre])[1][2][3] is an Anglo-Saxon goddess mentioned by Bede in his 8th century work The Reckoning of Time. He wrote that pagan Anglo-Saxons had held feasts in her honour during the month named after her: Ēosturmōnaþ (April), and that this became the English name for the Paschal season: Easter.
Whatever fictional character you ascribe it to, the fact is that the modern Christian festival of Easter partly replaced, and is named after, an earlier pagan festival.
None of this makes it Pagan. That’s like saying the 4th of July originates in Julius Caesar. Might as well have just stopped at Christians having “Sunday Services”. Go after Muslims too having “Friday Prayers”. The Pagans had a celebration in Spring - so what? If China gets Christianised, are you going to claim that Easter actually had it’s origins in the Qingming festival because it has similar dates? Sure, for some former-pagans, their old feast days would have been replaced with Christian ones. Same way how Muslims who convert to Christianity would replace their fasting season from Ramadan to that of Lent and Eid with Easter. Doesn’t mean Lent and Easter would have Islamic origins either.
If China gets Christianised, are you going to claim that Easter actually had it’s origins in the Qingming festival
If the entire Christian world then adopts elements of the Qingming festival and changes the name of it’s spring solstice festival to “Qingming”, then yes, of course.
And the bunny. And the eggs. Chocolate, peeps, jelly beans, fake grass, and all the commercialization. You can’t really have Easter without all that stuff. Shoot, even churches have Easter egg hunts.
…none of which has to do with a resurrection. But without all that extra stuff Easter would be about as popular as good Friday or ash Wednesday.
None of that stuff is Pagan. The Easter egg carries Christian symbolism. Eggs were popular as they were hard boiled on the lead-up to easter due to Lent. The Rabbit was from a German Easter-Hare tradition, likely due to Easter being in Spring.
Sure, you can argue that Easter is being secularised like Christmas and Halloween is. That doesn’t make it Pagan.
It’s absolutely, unequivocally not.
Whatever fictional character you ascribe it to, the fact is that the modern Christian festival of Easter partly replaced, and is named after, an earlier pagan festival.
None of this makes it Pagan. That’s like saying the 4th of July originates in Julius Caesar. Might as well have just stopped at Christians having “Sunday Services”. Go after Muslims too having “Friday Prayers”. The Pagans had a celebration in Spring - so what? If China gets Christianised, are you going to claim that Easter actually had it’s origins in the Qingming festival because it has similar dates? Sure, for some former-pagans, their old feast days would have been replaced with Christian ones. Same way how Muslims who convert to Christianity would replace their fasting season from Ramadan to that of Lent and Eid with Easter. Doesn’t mean Lent and Easter would have Islamic origins either.
If the entire Christian world then adopts elements of the Qingming festival and changes the name of it’s spring solstice festival to “Qingming”, then yes, of course.
Except that never happened with pagan festivals either, apart from Easter taking the name of the month that was named after a pagan deity.
And the bunny. And the eggs. Chocolate, peeps, jelly beans, fake grass, and all the commercialization. You can’t really have Easter without all that stuff. Shoot, even churches have Easter egg hunts.
…none of which has to do with a resurrection. But without all that extra stuff Easter would be about as popular as good Friday or ash Wednesday.
None of that stuff is Pagan. The Easter egg carries Christian symbolism. Eggs were popular as they were hard boiled on the lead-up to easter due to Lent. The Rabbit was from a German Easter-Hare tradition, likely due to Easter being in Spring.
Sure, you can argue that Easter is being secularised like Christmas and Halloween is. That doesn’t make it Pagan.