Easter

[dropit]

What is the meaning of Easter?

[Dingoeater]

The word "Easter" is thought to derive from the pagan festival of "Eostre" who was an Anglo-Saxon goddess representing spring and fertility if memory serves. Bede mentions "eostur-monath" a couple of times if you want to research further.

[kazminx]

you get to eat hunners of chocolate for breakfast....

[malaise]

mon the lindt bunnies!

[Jennykins]

The death and resurrection of Jesus.. But if you dont believe in that.. then its just about people making money of you and your snot nose chocolate eating kids hahaha. It all started as a Christian thing.. Just like christmas

[Kay]

Easter is a celebration for Christians (Me included) as jennykins explains. The easter egg symbolises the stone that sealed Jesu's tomb. I love my choccie egg or eggs especially the Cadbury Flake ones:--))

[Jennykins]

Well said FINA.. (big smile to you)

JEN

[Pippa68]

Easter is a Pagan festival, I believe. In the same way that Christians began celebrating Christmas during the Pagan's Winterfest, Easter has become a Christian festival ~ you can celebrate it however you wish, but Christians really shoudln't be celebrating by eating chocolate bunnies & wearing Easter bonnets ;o)

If you wish to celebrate the life & death of Jesus then don't bother with Easter...I think April 12th is the night chosen to remember Jesus this year the non-pagan way!

[Jennykins]

Pippa... it was not a pegan thing first.. Im not sure were your getting your information... But its wrong sorry to tell you... But I know pegans like to think they have been around since begining of time..

JEN

[Pippa68]

I am not wrong ~ sorry to say! neither is Dingoeater. I gain my facts by reading & research (I am neither a Christian nor Pagan so totally unbiased!)

The Easter festival is Pagan ~ fact. I am not denying Christians acknowledging & celebrating the life & death of Jesus.

Christians decided to make Pagan festivals more Christian. Just as they did with Christmas ~ however by doing so they Paganised Christianity. The Easter festival is about the birth of spring.

Try doing some proper research :o)

[Pippa68]

Jen ~ here's a little starter for you :o)

http://www.kerala.com/festival_easter.htm

[jno]

probably a pagan spring festival, as Christmas is a pagan midwinter celebration; see here, halfway down: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

[Kay]

Like Jen I associate Easter with the ressurection of Jesus. Christmas means "Christ's Mass" or "Birthday" in other words.Smiles back to you Jen:-)

[Pippa68]

The word Christmas is indeed associated with Christ ~ however it is celebrated during a Pagan festival. The way Christmas is celebrated is very Pagan..regardless of religious intention.

Pagan's brought small trees into the house to decorate (as well as decorate outside) & Christians didn't use trees until Victorian times, I believe? as I said before with regard to Christian festivals they began Pagan ~ simply because there was no basis for these celebrations set out in the bible.

As Jesus handed out bread & wine at his final supper he said 'keep doing this in remembrance of me' (Luke 22:19) this is regarded as a 'once night a year' celebration/remembrance.

[Jennykins]

Thank you FINA and Pippa... Christmas is Jesus b-day.. eaters is the death and ressurection of Jesus...If somthing else falls on the same day as that (like much does) then it does... hentz the name CHRIST-mas

the MAS for CHRIST... Im sorry to say but DUH!!!!

[nancie]

People are getting confused with the meanings of easter and christmas and the way they are celebrated. Easter should be celebrated by christians by going to church, fasting for a week before hand to be ready for a holy communion. It is not about bunnies and chocolate. The egg symbol means new life, however is not in the bible. Easter is celebrates the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, proving that there is everlasting life through Him.

The time period celebrated by pagans celebrating spring just happens to fall on the biblical calender of jesus's rising. In fact, catholics changed the old christian calender and the true easter is not this sunday, but rather next sunday. as an orthodox christian we still go by the original calender.

As regarding Christmas, Jesus was not born on Dec 25th, its just the day chosen in order to celebrate his birth. He was born around September..the christmas tree is actually a pagan thing, however i was told that it was a german celebration of christ as the top of the tree points toward God, but im not sure how true that is.

Father Christmas was actually a saint called St Nicholas, who was Greek. We went round a poor greek village and brought food and gifts and support to the villagers, but mention that he was Christian and you'll get the politically correct brigade ticking you off. Most kids have no idea that Easter and Christmas is about christianity, its so annoying!