Can You Count to 3? — The Inconsistencies of Christian Easter
A pagan festival became Christianized
Traditionally, churches present Easter as a Christian festival. The focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At least that is how the Catholic Church and most congregations see it.
However, a closer look reveals that Easter customs have little to do with the Bible and Jesus.
The origins of Easter in ancient times
In ancient times, there were many fertility festivals in the spring. The Persians celebrated the Nowruz festival. The Romans celebrated in honor of the goddess Flora, and the Egyptians celebrated their Feast of Fertility for the goddess Isis.
All of these ancient festivals were either determined by the spring equinox or were held near it. The theme of the festivals was fertility. The goddesses represented this fertility. The eggs were also symbols of new life and reproduction.
Basically, the customs of the various fertility gods of antiquity are similar. I think we can assume that the customs had a common origin and were handed down in variations in different cultures.
Thus, the fertility goddess in Rome was called Flora, in Greece Demeter, in Egypt Isis, and in Canaan Astarte.
