Why Easter seems less celebrated than Christmas ?

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johnnywong

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For the majority of Western society Easter has lost its meaning. My family is secular so I'm the one having to remind them that for myself and many others Easter is about more than just chocolate and bunnies.

For the secular western society the idea of crucified on the Cross and resurrection seems too dark and non-possible to them. But this indeed is the whole essence of Christianity and make it an unique religion!
 
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Kerensa

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I think the theme of Christmas :birth of a new born baby is more digestible to the secular world while that of Easter about the Cross and resurrection is not.

Yes, possibly — although, as I mentioned before, Easter does still get promoted and celebrated in a very secularised, commercial way in both the countries I've lived in. Not quite as much as Christmas, but not that far off. Much of what gets promoted for Christmas has no connection with the birth of Jesus anyway, just as most of what gets promoted for Easter has no connection with his resurrection.
 
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MariaJLM

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For the secular western society the idea of crucified on the Cross and resurrection seems too dark and non-possible to them. But this indeed is the whole essence of Christianity and make it an unique religion!

I don't understand why Christians are so afraid of the dark and macabre. Our entire faith is founded on that stuff. Heck, the Bible itself is filled with dark themes like death, genocide, human sacrifice, etc.
 
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johnnywong

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Easter is not as big of an economic opportunity.
The theme of Easter (the Cross and resurrection )is not good for business.

Also , they have spent all the money by this time after that big spent on Christmas!



What's Christmas? I only know the Lord's Day as the only holiday.
Agree.
 
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johnnywong

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I can't seem to find a feast day celebrating Christ's birth anywhere in Scripture. Please help me?

Yes.

Jesus doesn't want us to celebrate his birthday.

He wants us to remember his death and resurrection for us.

But for the public at large , Christmas may be a good chance to preach the Gospel.
 
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johnnywong

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I don't understand why Christians are so afraid of the dark and macabre. Our entire faith is founded on that stuff. Heck, the Bible itself is filled with dark themes like death, genocide, human sacrifice, etc.

Agree.

The sin and Satan make this world Dark and terrible and the only Hope is in Christ.
 
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Jonaitis

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Yes.

Jesus doesn't want us to celebrate his birthday.

He wants us to remember his death and resurrection for us.

But for the public at large , Christmas may be a good chance to preach the Gospel.

That is very true!
 
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DM25

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Much of what gets promoted for Christmas has no connection with the birth of Jesus anyway
Well to be honest Jesus wasn't born on Christmas. Jesus was most likely born in September according to most biblical scholars. Christmas and Easter are both holidays that are simply not in the bible. Originally they came from pagan roots but the Catholic Church adopted them.
 
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Ignatius the Kiwi

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Well to be honest Jesus wasn't born on Christmas. Jesus was most likely born in September according to most biblical scholars. Christmas and Easter are both holidays that are simply not in the bible. Originally they came from pagan roots but the Catholic Church adopted them.

Is the Jewish Passover pagan?
 
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Toro

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Since neither Christmas or Easter have pagan origins, I very much doubt you were led by God not to celebrate them.
What one is or is not led to is between them and God and is none of our business when it comes to the importance of a day or the lack of importance there of. Romans 14:5
 
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DM25

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Is the Jewish Passover pagan?
No... Is this a serious question? The Passover (not Jewish only, many people from the different lands of Israel observed it) is in the bible and all over the old testament, not pagan. Many references to it in the bible. Jesus himself celebrated it. Easter and Christmas are both pagan though, with no biblical accounts for these holidays and it has pagan roots. Jesus was not born on Christmas. And Easter is not mentioned in the bible besides Ishtar, which was a moon goddess on infertility... hence all the eggs and bunnies.
 
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Ignatius the Kiwi

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No... Is this a serious question? The Passover (not Jewish only, many people from the different lands of Israel observed it) is in the bible and all over the old testament, not pagan. Many references to it in the bible. Jesus himself celebrated it. Easter and Christmas are both pagan though, with no biblical accounts for these holidays and it has pagan roots. Jesus was not born on Christmas. And Easter is not mentioned in the bible besides Ishtar, which was a moon goddess on infertility... hence all the eggs and bunnies.

What is Easter called in Greek.
 
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salt-n-light

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Celebrating Pascha (Easter) was from the RCC?

The earliest historical record is from the mid second century, but it was well established at that point. Its prototype is the Passover (which incidentally is the definition of Pascha).

Here’s a sermon about it form the second century: Sermon on the Pasch – St. Melitos

It is true though that the death and resurrection of our Lord (and His Incarnation) should be prominent in our thoughts always.

It is not a prototype of the Passover.

Passover is a Jewish holiday that honored a separate event than Easter which is the resurrection. Yes, they happened around the same time, although Passover is a week-long event, and yes they bare significance in its connection, but the days themselves they are testaments of different events. The rituals behind how we go about celebrating the resurrection were thus I would say were established from RCC.

How Jews celebrate Passover is different from how we would do Easter.Easter is not a prototype of Passover. Now if you are talking about Pascha from Orthodox's standpoint thats different, im assuming that it more in line with Passover. But the Easter in western world, speaking from someone in the US and is a protestant, first established from RCC. I believe that is what the OP is referring to.
 
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DM25

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What is Easter called in Greek.
Don't ask questions that lead nowhere, I know what I know. If you want to celebrate these holidays go ahead, I never judged you for it. I was simply speaking facts. Glorify the Lord in the way you want. But don't judge me for not celebrating it and simply giving actual facts... Easter and Christmas came from pagan roots before the Catholic church adopted it. Christmas originally from the worship of the sun god, a festival of the winter solstice, also usually called "Saturnalia". Easter for a worship of the moon goddess of infertility Ishtar. They are simply man-made traditions.

Colossians 2:16
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
 
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Ignatius the Kiwi

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Don't ask questions that lead nowhere, I know what I know. If you want to celebrate these holidays go ahead, I never judged you for it. I was simply speaking factss. Do what you want to do unto the Lord. But don't judge me for not celebrating it and simply giving actual facts... Easter and Christmas came from pagan roots before the Catholic church adopted it. Christmas originally from the worship of the sun god, a festival of the winter solstice, also usually called "Saturnalia". Easter for a worship of the moon goddess of infertility Ishtar.

Colossians 2:16
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
You didn't answer the question. I am convinced that arguing with you will get us nowhere, so I'm asking a basic question.

Tell me what the Greeks modern and ancient call Easter. This is relevant because the first mentions of the Christian feast are in that language, not English.
 
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DM25

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It is not a prototype of the Passover.

Passover is a Jewish holiday that honored a separate event than Easter which is the resurrection. Yes, they happened around the same time, although Passover is a week-long event, and yes they bare significance in its connection, but the days themselves they are testaments of different events. The rituals behind how we go about celebrating the resurrection were thus I would say were established from RCC.

How Jews celebrate Passover is different from how we would do Easter.Easter is not a prototype of Passover. Now if you are talking about Pascha from Orthodox's standpoint thats different, im assuming that it more in line with Passover. But the Easter in western world, speaking from someone in the US and is a protestant, first established from RCC. I believe that is what the OP is referring to.
Umm who's "we"? Easter is not a biblical Christian holiday... Not all Christians celebrate it, nor would they need to. In fact my bet is most Christians don't celebrate it, because it's mainly a western thing. We are FREE to celebrate the feasts, it is not only restricted to the Jews. It is a great way to glorify God, so not sure what you're talking about. Many of "us" Christians don't celebrate any holidays and choose to celebrate him everyday. But don't say "we" as in Christians because many Christians were convicted by God not to celebrate Christmas or Easter...

The Passover was a direct foreshadow of Jesus' resurrection... We are free to observe it now in remembrance of the resurrection of Christ, and no it is not meant for Jews only. Anyone can, and it's a great learning experience. The Passover story in Exodus foreshadowed the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's an excellent way to glorify him. Which is why I will try to observe it this year. Or I will simply remember and celebrate him every day. But it doesn't matter how, don't judge people who do, the feasts can be a great learning experience and a wonderful way to glorify God. And yes Passover is remembrance of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was a direct foreshadow. We are free to look back on it now because Jesus is our Passover. We are free to celebrate the feast.
 
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DM25

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You didn't answer the question. I am convinced that arguing with you will get us nowhere, so I'm asking a basic question.

Tell me what the Greeks modern and ancient call Easter. This is relevant because the first mentions of the Christian feast are in that language, not English.
Easter is not in the bible. Passover is though.
 
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FireDragon76

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I could imagine a world wherein Evangelicals in the USA took the traditions of Lent seriously, fasted and abstained from meat for forty days in significant numbers so that there might be some sort of general cultural movement to make Easter more practiced of emphasized than Christmas.

You might even have a situation where secularists would adopt 40 days of Veganism just to counter the Christian influence, then you would perhaps get companies branding themselves as lent safe meals and trying to make a profit of it like they do for Christmas. At least more so than they already do for Easter.

Protestantism in general doesn't seem keen to take on papist ( I would say Christian) practices like Easter and there are elements within it that continue to promulgate the myth that Easter has pagan origins despite being proven wrong continuously on forums like these, year after year. This is why I'm willing to bet Easter, within our life times, doesn't become more important than Christmas.

I would actually invite Protestants to abide by the centuries old practice of fasting before Easter, it would allow us Old Christians to have one more thing in common with the the New Christians and make Christendom at least a little more united.

People in my denomination actually fast more this time of year than most Catholics do.
 
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