Easter is Springtime’s principal festival and is celebrated in Christian countries as a religious holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Christ. Yet the festival itself has many and varied pagan origins which deviate from Christian beliefs.

Those scholars that accept the pagan explanation place their beliefs in the writings of St. Bede, an Eighth Century English scholar. He believed that the name ‘Easter’ came from the Scandinavian Ostra and the Teutonic Ostern or Easterne, these were goddesses of mythology that signified Spring and fertility whose festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox.


The Christian celebration of Easter is related to the Jewish festival of Passover. This can also be known as Pesach or Pasch. This is an important festival in the Jewish calendar which is celebrated for 8 days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox. This means that Easter is essentially ‘movable’ and can fall anytime between March 22nd and April 25th.
Easter marks the end of the forty day period of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The Lenten season itself is a period of penitence in preparation for the festival and traditionally people sacrifice something they like during this time. Lent finally ends with Holy week and Easter.