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EASTER
FUNNIES
E
ggs. rabbits and hot cross buns
are Easter symbols familiar to
us a ll. Yet many of us might be
shocked or su rprised al the real
origin and mcaning of many of our
alleged ly "Christian" Eas ter cus–
toms.
Nearly all of the symbols and
customs involved in the modern
''Christian" observance of Easter
are actually not Christia n at all.
but derive from ancient pagan Eu–
ropean mythology and super–
stition. The ancient pagan symbols
have simply been taken over intó
mainstream Christianity and given
a pseudo-Christian veneer.
The modern word "Easter" itself
is evidently derived from the namc
Eosrre
o r
Eosrur.
a n ancient
Tcutonic goddess of the spring
months, with whom were doubtless
associa ted sp ring ferti lity ri tes
(Sede.
De Temp. Rcaione.
15). Th e
biblical term associated with th e
observance of Jcsus' dcath is called
the
Pascha.
a Greek term used to
translate the Hebrew word "Pass–
over." Unfortunately. we know
little more abou t th e goddess
Eosrre
than her name.
Actually. the name "Easter" has
a remarkable similarity to the
name of that ancicnt Assyrian and
Babylonian goddess
Ishrar!
Thc
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1977
Phoenicians called her
Astarte
and
the Teutons add ressed their god–
dess as
Eosrre.
Could all of these
"mother-of-god" figures be one
and the same?
The egg. of course. has long
been a symbol ofrcproduction and
fertility representing the earth. life.
or the seat of the sou l. In ancien t
Egypt the egg had magical and rc–
ligious significa nce for the after–
life; in ancient Rome ege:s were
used to cast magica l spelts
(Funk
and Wagnalls Standard DicrionWJ'
of Folklore, Myrhology and Leg–
end.
p.
341 ).
The modern use of eggs at Eas–
ter time probably originated in
ca rly medieva l fertility rites. In
France during thc 17th century. a
bride had to break an egg upon
en tering her ncw house in order
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ensure she had children. In Ger–
ma ny. a mixture of eggs. bread
and ft our was smcarcd on a plow
on the Thursday before Easter so
th at the coming harvest would be
plentiful
(ibid.).
In sorne areas of
Europe. if eggs we re not ex–
changed at Whit untide the hens
would supposed ly stop lay ing.
Thus our modern Easter egg is
little more than an ancient Euro–
pean fertility symbol.
The European rabbit or "Easter
bunny" was al o long revered as a
fertility symbol of the love goddess
Venus (or her Germanic equiva–
len!). In early pagan Europe. rab–
bits were actually sacrificed to the
goddess Venus
(Handworterbuch
des Deutschen Aberglaubens,
vol. 4,
col. 96 1). Throughout much of Eu–
rope. the rabbi t has traditionally
been viewed as a creature of magi–
cal power and intluence
(ibid.).
When modern paren ts assure their
children that the Eas ter bunny la id
those bright ly colored eggs. they are
actually following practices known
long ago in pagan Europe.
Hot cross buns are another sym–
bol associated wi th Eas ter. a nd
along wi th other Easter pastries
they make it a high-calorie holiday.
Hot cross buns also go back to pa–
ga n offerings on ancien t holy days.
the cross probably replacing pagan
symbols or image . "As in so many
other instances where pagan ritual
was Christianized. nothing is more
likely than th at the cakes used at
pagan festi va ls became. by an easy
transi tion. cakes associated with
Christian festi va ls. Among cakes
which may havc had this history
may be mentioned Yule cakes ...
hot cross buns on Good Friday.
Easter cakcs ...."
(Hasrings Ency–
clopedia ofReligion and Ethics.
vol.
11 . pp. 60-61 ). Like so many otncr
"Chris tian " symbo ls. hot cross
buns have a long pagan history.
Many modern Christians doubt–
less feel that thcse paga n customs
have little or nothing to do with
their actual Christian faith in Jesus
Christ as their resurrected Savior.
Yet do not thesc customs and sym–
bols obscure, especially for chil–
dren. the rea l meaning of the
death of Christ and the true sym–
bolism associated with it- bread
an d wine (Matt. 26:26-28)? lf you
paint your eggs this yea r and roll
them across the lawn. you might
want to think about it.
Scott
G.
Rockhold
Jesus Christ clearly stated
(Matthew
12
:40) that the
only
sign
He would give to prove He
was the Messiah was that He
would spend three days and
three nights in His grave. Yet
tradition has it that Christ was
in the grave from Friday sunset
to Easter Sunday sunrise-only
a day and a hall! Who is right?
Was Christ an 1mpostor? Or is
traditional Christianity mis–
taken? Read the surprising an–
swers in our free booklet
The
Resurrection Was Not on Sun–
day.
(To request your copy,
please use the
coupon order
form on back
cover.)
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