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April 12, 2009 05:34AM
German pagans named the Spring Equinox after Ostara, their goddess of spring, fertility, and rebirth. In England, among the Anglo-Saxon tribes, Ostara was known as Eostre. The modern holiday of Easter is derived from the name "Eostre" and the associated myths. According to these myths, Eostre was a playful goddess whose reign over the earth began in the spring when the Sun King journeyed across the sky in his chariot, bringing the end of winter. Ostara came down to earth then, appearing as a beautiful maiden with a basket of bright colorful eggs. Eostre's magical companion was a rabbit who accompanied her as she brought new life to dying plants and flowers by hiding the eggs in the fields.
Many of the traditions associated with Easter have direct links with Paganism. Even the word Easter is named after the Teutonic Goddess Eostre, the Goddess of Spring who gives fertility to the earth. (Note that Easter coincides with Spring in the Northern Hemisphere)
The custom of eating hot cross buns is also said to have Pagan origins. The Saxons ate buns that were marked with a cross in honour of Eostre. The ancient Greeks also consumed these types of buns in their celebrations of Artemis, Goddess of the hunt (known as Diana to the Romans). And the Egyptians ate a similar cake in their worship of the Goddess Isis.
There are conflicting ideas as to what the cross symbol represents. One suggestion is that it is a Christianisation of horn symbols that were stamped on cakes to represent an ox, which used to be sacrificed at the time of the Spring Equinox. Another theory that explains the cross marks on the bun relates to moon worship, whereby the bun represented the full moon, and the cross represents its four quarters. After Christianity gave new meanings to the symbolism of these crossed buns, i.e. that the cross represented the crucifixion cross, superstitions arose which credited these buns as being charms against evil, so after Good Friday, people would keep one or two of them hung in their homes as amulets. During the festival season and for a long time afterwards, fishermen would also carry these Easter buns in their boats for protection.
Eggs are another Pagan symbol of Easter. From the earliest of times, the egg has represented immortality. The egg is the World Egg, laid by the Goddess and opened by the heat of the Sun God. The hatching of this World Egg was celebrated each year at the Spring festival of the Sun. As Spring is the season of nature's rebirth, the symbol of the egg was of course particularly significant at this time. The Druids dyed eggs scarlet to honour the Sun, and Pagan Anglo-Saxons made offerings of their coloured eggs to the Goddess Eostre. They also (like many Pagan cultures before them) placed patterned eggs in tombs or on fresh graves, to ensure the rebirth of the deceased.
The Easter Bunny is another symbol that has obvious links to the fertility, rebirth, and the abundance of life that is evident in Spring. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines Easter this way: originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover.
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March 28, 2009 04:36PM
My mind keeps racing with worst case scenarios.
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March 19, 2009 06:26PM
I have decided to postpone my nervous breakdown until Wednesday. Persephone's appointment is at 11 and Joe's is at 2.
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