Easter Celebrations are Worship of the Sun

reddogs · Apr 18, 2025

....and deep in pagan symbols to say nothing of the rites and rituals. If one looks, they will see the origins of Easter are found in a pagan festival celebration of seasonal renewal that has taken place around the time of the Spring Equinox. The date upon which Easter is held varies from year to year, and corresponds with the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox.

Here is a good explanation.. "Easter is one of Christianity’s highest and holiest days, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. But the origins of today’s very Christian holiday are firmly rooted in the ancient traditions of pagan religions from many parts of the world. With its blend of solemn religious symbolism and the fun of Easter eggs and bunny rabbits, Easter as we know it is a patchwork of beliefs and practices related to the themes of springtime, rebirth, and renewal....

Easter doesn’t fall on the same date every year. Thus, even this aspect of the holiday is connected with pagan celebrations of the cycles of nature. The vernal equinox marks the time when night and day are of equal length. It’s also a celebration by pagan cultures to welcome the arrival of the long days of spring and summer."

And more..."Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn't really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too.

The Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, was hung naked on a stake, and was subsequently resurrected and ascended from the underworld. One of the oldest resurrection myths is Egyptian Horus. Born on 25 December, Horus and his damaged eye became symbols of life and rebirth. Mithras was born on what we now call Christmas day, and his followers celebrated the spring equinox. Even as late as the 4th century AD, the sol invictus, associated with Mithras, was the last great pagan cult the church had to overcome. Dionysus was a divine child, resurrected by his grandmother. Dionysus also brought his mum, Semele, back to life.

In an ironic twist, the Cybele cult flourished on today's Vatican Hill. Cybele's lover Attis, was born of a virgin, died and was reborn annually. This spring festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday, rising to a crescendo after three days, in rejoicing over the resurrection. ....."http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism

Mockingbird0 · May 13, 2025

Can you point to one Anglican, Roman Catholic, or Orthodox Easter service in which prayers were addressed to the sun?

prodromos · May 13, 2025

reddogs said:
....and deep in pagan symbols to say nothing of the rites and rituals. If one looks, they will see the origins of Easter are found in a pagan festival celebration of seasonal renewal that has taken place around the time of the Spring Equinox. The date upon which Easter is held varies from year to year, and corresponds with the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox.

Here is a good explanation.. "Easter is one of Christianity’s highest and holiest days, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. But the origins of today’s very Christian holiday are firmly rooted in the ancient traditions of pagan religions from many parts of the world. With its blend of solemn religious symbolism and the fun of Easter eggs and bunny rabbits, Easter as we know it is a patchwork of beliefs and practices related to the themes of springtime, rebirth, and renewal....

Easter doesn’t fall on the same date every year. Thus, even this aspect of the holiday is connected with pagan celebrations of the cycles of nature. The vernal equinox marks the time when night and day are of equal length. It’s also a celebration by pagan cultures to welcome the arrival of the long days of spring and summer."

And more..."Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn't really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too.

The Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, was hung naked on a stake, and was subsequently resurrected and ascended from the underworld. One of the oldest resurrection myths is Egyptian Horus. Born on 25 December, Horus and his damaged eye became symbols of life and rebirth. Mithras was born on what we now call Christmas day, and his followers celebrated the spring equinox. Even as late as the 4th century AD, the sol invictus, associated with Mithras, was the last great pagan cult the church had to overcome. Dionysus was a divine child, resurrected by his grandmother. Dionysus also brought his mum, Semele, back to life.

In an ironic twist, the Cybele cult flourished on today's Vatican Hill. Cybele's lover Attis, was born of a virgin, died and was reborn annually. This spring festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday, rising to a crescendo after three days, in rejoicing over the resurrection. ....."http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism

Good luck finding any reputable historical sources backing up any of that nonsense from Heather McDougall

"Heather McDougall is a writer and music teacher with a background in comparative religion (Buddhism and Catholicism) and interests in Aquinas, ethics, and philosophy of religion."

Jipsah · Jun 12, 2025

reddogs said:
....and deep in pagan symbols to say nothing of the rites and rituals. If one looks, they will see the origins of Easter are found in a pagan festival celebration of seasonal renewal that has taken place around the time of the Spring Equinox.

Rubbish.
You're going to the wrong church, mate.

Mockingbird0 · Jun 14, 2025

reddogs said:
....and deep in pagan symbols to say nothing of the rites and rituals. If one looks, they will see the origins of Easter are found in a pagan festival celebration of seasonal renewal that has taken place around the time of the Spring Equinox.

Neither the Romans nor the Greeks had a Spring equinox festival that I know of. The closest nation to the ancient Mediterranean to have a Spring equinox festival were the Iranians, and they were far away.

reddogs said:
Easter doesn’t fall on the same date every year. Thus, even this aspect of the holiday is connected with pagan celebrations of the cycles of nature. The vernal equinox marks the time when night and day are of equal length. It’s also a celebration by pagan cultures to welcome the arrival of the long days of spring and summer."

Once again, show me an ancient Mediterranean society that has a Spring equinox festival. The Easter calculation is Jewish in origin. Josephus, the 1st-century Jewish historian, wrote:

In the month of Xanthicus, which with us is called Nisan and begins the year, on the fourteenth day by lunar reckoning, the sun being then in Aries, our lawgiver, seeing that in this month we were delivered from bondage to the Egyptians, ordained that we should year by year offer the same sacrifice which, as I have already said, we offered then departure from Egypt--the sacrifice called Pascha. (Antiquities 3.248/3.10.5)

"The sun being...in Aries" means on or after the Spring equinox.

reddogs said:
And more..."Easter is a pagan festival. If Easter isn't really about Jesus, then what is it about? Today, we see a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection. However, early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practises, most of which we enjoy today at Easter. The general symbolic story of the death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world. There were plenty of parallel, rival resurrected saviours too.

Can you document this "well worn story" from primary sources?

reddogs said:
In an ironic twist, the Cybele cult flourished on today's Vatican Hill. Cybele's lover Attis, was born of a virgin, died and was reborn annually. This spring festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday, rising to a crescendo after three days, in rejoicing over the resurrection. ....."http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism

Can you document this story about Cybele and Attis from primary sources?

prodromos · Jun 15, 2025

@reddogs hasn't been back since posting the OP precisely because he has no primary sources to back up any of the false claims made in the article.
Seriously, if you want your OP to even seem credible, then make sure the article you link to was written by someone with credentials in medieval history. The OP article was written by a music teacher who did an elective in comparative religions at college. Hardly anyone who would be taken seriously on the OP topic.

reddogs · Jun 21, 2025

prodromos said:
Good luck finding any reputable historical sources backing up any of that nonsense from Heather McDougall

"Heather McDougall is a writer and music teacher with a background in comparative religion (Buddhism and Catholicism) and interests in Aquinas, ethics, and philosophy of religion."

Need to look, its everywhere...
"Pagan roots of Easter lie in celebrating the spring equinox, for millennia an important holiday in many religions. Celebrating the beginning of spring may be among the oldest holidays in human culture. Occurring every year on March 20, 21, or 22, the spring equinox is the end of winter and beginning of spring. Biologically and culturally, it represents for northern climates the end of a “dead” season and the rebirth of life, as well as the importance of fertility and reproduction.

Easter and Zoroastrianism
The earliest reference we have to a similar holiday comes to us from Babylon, 2400 BCE. The city of Ur apparently had a celebration dedicated to the moon and the spring equinox which was held sometime during our months of March or April. On the spring equinox, Zoroastrians continue to celebrate “No Ruz,” the new day or New Year. This date is commemorated by the last remaining Zoroastrians and probably constitutes the oldest celebration in the history of the world...."How Much of Easter's Celebration Rituals Remain Christian in Nature?

"The date upon which Easter is held varies from year to year, and corresponds with the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox. It occurs on different dates around the world since western churches use the Gregorian calendar, while eastern churches use the Julian calendar....."The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

Mockingbird0 · Jun 21, 2025

reddogs said:
Need to look, its everywhere...
"Pagan roots of Easter lie in celebrating the spring equinox, for millennia an important holiday in many religions. Celebrating the beginning of spring may be among the oldest holidays in human culture. Occurring every year on March 20, 21, or 22, the spring equinox is the end of winter and beginning of spring. Biologically and culturally, it represents for northern climates the end of a “dead” season and the rebirth of life, as well as the importance of fertility and reproduction.

The spring equinox was not an important holiday in "many religions", but in some. One ancient people who celebrated on the equinoxes were the Israelites, from whose spring equinox festival (Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread) Easter derives.

reddogs said:
Easter and Zoroastrianism
The earliest reference we have to a similar holiday comes to us from Babylon, 2400 BCE. The city of Ur apparently had a celebration dedicated to the moon and the spring equinox which was held sometime during our months of March or April. On the spring equinox, Zoroastrians continue to celebrate “No Ruz,” the new day or New Year. This date is commemorated by the last remaining Zoroastrians and probably constitutes the oldest celebration in the history of the world...."How Much of Easter's Celebration Rituals Remain Christian in Nature?

I know of no evidence linking the Noruz festival to Easter, or linking the Babylonian Akitu festival to Easter. The Akitu festival was celebrated beginning on the new moon (the first visible crescent) of the month of Nisanu but it centered on the god Marduk, not on the moon.

reddogs said:
"The date upon which Easter is held varies from year to year, and corresponds with the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox. It occurs on different dates around the world since western churches use the Gregorian calendar, while eastern churches use the Julian calendar....."The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

The date of Easter is of Jewish origin. Here is what the first-century Jewish historian Josephus wrote:

In the month of Xanthicus, which with us is called Nisan and begins the year, on the fourteenth day by lunar reckoning, the sun being then in Aries, our lawgiver, seeing that in this month we were delivered from bondage to the Egyptians, ordained that we should year by year offer the same sacrifice which, as I have already said, we offered then on departure form Egypt--the sacrifice called Pascha. (Antiquities 3.248/3.10.5)

"The sun being...in Aries" means on or after the spring equinox. The fourteenth day is at the full moon. The following week is the week of Unleavened Bread. The Sunday of that week is Easter. This is the day of waving the barley sheaf according to one interpretation of Leviticus 23.11. St. Paul compares Jesus to the barley sheaf in 1 Corinthians 15.20.

bèlla · Jun 21, 2025

Most pagan holidays were co-opted by the church to make integration easier. While they’re not dedicated to those entities elsewhere there’s a lot of symbolism that carried over. Acknowledgement is a personal matter. While the church may recognize it publicly you aren’t required to do the same. But don’t be unkind to those who choose otherwise.

We follow the biblical calendar in our home and those are the days we revere. The others are opportunities for light in different guises. For example, I don’t recognize christmas personally. But I can show you how to create a pleasant environment and meal for your loved ones. Some will look at that and think about Christ and others will see Santa Claus. And that’s okay. But it’s really a recognition of the winter solstice and a season of rest. That’s what we focus on.

Living the rhythms is our priority and that’s what our practice is developing. But everyone’s different and you have to pick and choose your battles. I wouldn’t split hairs on this anymore than I’d debate taking communion at home. It’s a personal choice.

~bella

Mockingbird0 · Jun 21, 2025

bèlla said:
Most pagan holidays were co-opted by the church to make integration easier.

"Most" ? I can think of plenty of pagan holidays that the church did not "co-opt". In one case in which the church is said to have taken over a pagan festival, Christmas, the facts might very well be the other way around: it could be a Christian festival that the pagans adopted.

bèlla said:
While they’re not dedicated to those entities elsewhere there’s a lot of symbolism that carried over.

"A lot" ? Examples? In the case in which this is alleged to have happened, hares and eggs at Easter, the facts do not bear out the allegation. The Easter Hare was invented in 17th-century Germany. The first example of a colored Easter egg in England that I can find was in the year 1290, too late for it to have been "carried over" from paganism.

bèlla · Jun 21, 2025

Mockingbird0 said:
In one case in which the church is said to have taken over a pagan festival, Christmas, the facts might very well be the other way around: it could be a Christian festival that the pagans adopted.

It’s derived from the cult of mithras.

Mockingbird0 said:
"A lot" ? Examples? In the case in which this is alleged to have happened, hares and eggs at Easter, the facts do not bear out the allegation. The Easter Hare was invented in 17th-century Germany. The first example of a colored Easter egg in England that I can find was in the year 1290, too late for it to have been "carried over" from paganism.

The hare is a symbol of fertility commonly associated with the goddess. Eostre is frequently referred to as Ostara in modern times and celebrated on the spring equinox. If you look up the term you’ll find it predates the period named. Spring is the time for planting and seeds multiply. The correlation should be evident. Bear in mind, these were agricultural societies and many of their traditions had practical reasons.

~bella

Mockingbird0 · Jun 21, 2025

bèlla said:
It’s derived from the cult of mithras.

Evidence?

bèlla said:
The hare is a symbol of fertility commonly associated with the goddess. Eostre is frequently referred to as Ostara in modern times and celebrated on the spring equinox. If you look up the term you’ll find it predates the period named. Spring is the time for planting and seeds multiply. The correlation should be evident. Bear in mind, these were agricultural societies and many of their traditions had practical reasons.

~bella

All we know about Eostre comes from the 8th-century English author Bede. Bede does not associate Eostre with any animal. Hares are not obviously symbols of fertility in medieval Christian art. If anything, they are symbols of virginity.

bèlla · Jun 21, 2025

Mockingbird0 said:
Evidence?

All we know about Eostre comes from the 8th-century English author Bede. Bede does not associate Eostre with any animal. Hares are not obviously symbols of fertility in medieval Christian art. If anything, they are symbols of virginity.

If you’ve limited yourself to christian texts you can‘t expect to be well informed about other cultures. I’ve provided the modern term if you want to know more. You have to go to the source and see how it was recognized by different groups. Choose an area and look at its history. There’s a wealth of information on pre-christian practices and quite a bit of it is scholarly.

The bible provides numerous examples of groups living differently and the impact of their influence on Israel. They didn’t live in a vacuum and you can see the same in their calendar. Some of the names are Babylonian. To assume christians never did the same is unrealistic. People rub off on one another when they live in community. Have you forgotten Paul’s words?

To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews [for Christ]; to men under the Law, [I became] as one under the Law, though not being under the Law myself, so that I might win those who are under the Law. To those who are without (outside) the Law, [I became] as one without the Law, though [I am] not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became [as the] weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means [in any and every way] save some [by leading them to faith in Jesus Christ].

~bella

Mockingbird0 · Jun 21, 2025

bèlla said:
If you’ve limited yourself to christian texts you can‘t expect to be well informed about other cultures. I’ve provided the modern term if you want to know more. You have to go to the source and see how it was recognized by different groups.

I have yet to see a primary historical source indicating that any ancient Mediterranean people venerated hares, or sacrificed them to their gods.

prodromos · Jun 21, 2025

reddogs said:
Need to look, its everywhere...

Not a single primary source is given. Your author, a so called 'pagan expert' is either making stuff up or simply repeating what has been made up by others.
There are no historical records of any Ostara rituals. Nothing, nada, zip.

So much fail :doh:

prodromos · Jun 21, 2025

bèlla said:
Most pagan holidays were co-opted by the church to make integration easier.

An often repeated yet totally baseless claim.

prodromos · Jun 21, 2025

bèlla said:
If you’ve limited yourself to christian texts you can‘t expect to be well informed about other

There are no other historical texts. Venerable Bede gives the only historical reference to "Eostre" and it is quite likely he was mistaken.
Certainly you can find plenty of ink spilled regarding this or that pagan ritual, but what you do not find is any historical reference to their supposed rituals. It has all been made up.

DragonFox91 · Jun 21, 2025

I think where a lot of people who identify as Christians struggle w/ this concept is they think it's an attack on the very foundations of Christianity: "if we can prove that what Christianity is doing was pagan, we can disprove Christianity." This isn't what we're trying to do. We're trying to say the 2 co-existed at one point, then the pagan beliefs were brought in. People are also in denial of this b/c they want to cling to their pagan customs. "Tear down your bunnies & eggs b/c it's a manifestation of the Fertility Goddess" is a hard concept. Look to the pagans, how are they celebrating Easter? Oh wait, they're celebrating Easter, the Fertility holiday.

Mockingbird0 · Jun 21, 2025

Concerning the questions of whether pagan habits sometimes were carried over into Christian worship, the use of incense is one obvious case. Historian Ronald Hutton has given some other likely examples:

[Sacrifice] also got incorporated into Christian rites in certain remote areas: oxen were killed in honor of St. Benyo at Clynnog Fawr in Gwynedd until 1589 and to St. Maelrubha in Wester Ross until 1678. Both traditions then encountered reforming churchmen and were suppressed, having survived centuries of other Christian masters who apparently regarded the practice as acceptable. But the concept of sacrifice was also embodied in popular ritual. One of the most blatant translations of an offering to a pagan deity persisted on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides until the mid-seventeenth century. At Halloween fisherman would go down to the shore, kneel at the edge of the waves and repeat the Christian Paternoster. One of them then waded in up to his waist, poured out a bowl of ale and asked a mysterious being called Shoney (Johnny) for a good catch over the next year. Then they went to St. Malvey's chapel and sat in silence for a while before making merry in the fields for the rest of the night. (The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy, Blackwell, 1991, pp. 329-330).

But the Easter Hare is not one of these cases.

Jipsah · Jun 21, 2025

bèlla said:
It’s derived from the cult of mithras.

Nope. Mithraists knocked off Christian beliefs, because they were losing followers to Christianity.

bèlla said:
The hare is a symbol of fertility commonly associated with the goddess

What goddess?

bèlla said:
Eostre is frequently referred to as Ostara in modern times and celebrated on the spring equinox.

Where, and by whom? And who cares anyway? Easter is called Easter almost solely in English.

bèlla said:
If you look up the term you’ll find it predates the period named. So?

Look mate, if you don't want to celebrate our Lord's resurrection, don't. No salesman will call. But give the "pretty much everything is pagan" codswallop a rest. Bother a bunch of pagans anyway. "Oh, we can't worship Christ on that day because some extinct pagans who may or may not have actually existed did something or other on [Enter Date Here] so they own it and so if we do something on that date we're pagans too." Unless your pagans can show up and prove that they own certain words and dates and seasons in fee simple, then those words and dates and seasons belong to the Lord. If Old Nick wants to claim that he owns them, let him take it to court. I'm tire of "Oh, we can't do X, pagans did that!" Who cares?

Easter Celebrations are Worship of the Sun

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