Have you ever wondered where the word "Easter" comes from?The Britannica Encyclopedia (1934) states:
“EASTER (es’ter). Ostara, or Eastre, was the goddess of Spring in the religion of the ancient Angles and Saxons. Every April a festival was celebrated in her honor. With the beginnings of Christianity, the old gods were put aside. From then on the festival was celebrated in honor of the resurrection of Christ, but was still known as Easter after the old goddess.”
Why do any of us celebrate Easter?
Easter "eggs" and bunny rabbits are pagan fertility symbols, and have been for centuries upon centuries.
Why do we not celebrate the holiday of Passover?
Passover foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah.
Passover was fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah.
The Last Supper was a Passover meal.
During the Last Supper Jesus said to do this in memory of Him.
We will celebrate the Passover during the 1000 year reign of Christ (see Ezekiel 45-46).
Below is a portion of an article that I found which provides some background on Easter, and which should provide a good starting point for learning more:
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http://www.fossilizedcustoms.com/easter.html
EASTER (edited for length)
by Lew White
This word has been adopted from Pagans as an attempt to “inculturate” by syncretism a behavior that is absolutely an abomination. If you recognize “Halloween” for what it is, then this will be no different after you learn the truth. Easter was already one of the two biggest celebrations observed by Pagans, long before Christianity came along. It is my belief that when this is exposed, it will fulfill the prophecies of Revelation 18. Go read it now. Babylon is still with us, but it is going to fall. Easter was celebrated by the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, and the Philistines (Goliath no doubt had an Easter basket). You should look up “Easter” in a Webster’s Dictionary, and do further research in other sources! This festival involved the “Rites of Spring” near the Equinox of Venus, when Pagans believed the Earth Mother was impregnated by the sun. They engaged in ritual sex acts, and used symbols of fertility like eggs, rabbits, and “hot cross buns”. The Babylonian symbol for the “female” was, and is, a circle with a crux beneath. The round cakes were baked for the “Queen of Heaven” (Regina Coeli), and “Great Mother” (Magna Mater), with the “cross” symbol indicating the female. The cross also indicated the Equinox, when the Earth’s orbit “crossed” the celestial equator. Hold on now, because everything will be just fine. This must sound so wild you may think I’m a heretic; but by the end of this you will be very glad to have acquired the truth. This book will only shatter myths, not the “rock” of truth.
To ensure a prosperous growing season, Pagans rolled eggs decorated with bright colors of Spring on their fields, hoping to imbue fertility. These eggs were then hidden from “evil spirits” in rabbits’ nests, another symbol of fertility. The US Federal government does this very thing on the White House lawn every year on Easter Sun-Day. “Easter” is the name of the Babylonian “Mother of Harlots”, Rev. 17, and her image stands as the sun-goddess “Lady Liberty” in New York Harbor. This Colossus statue even has the “tower” headpiece, as seen worn by Artemis. The Hebrew TaNaKh (O.T.) calls her ASHERAH. The 7 horns or sunrays should be a strong indication of her true identity. Her emblem is the flower of the lily, seen illustrated with her on this page. An American society, the Easter Seals Society, uses the fleur-de-lis (French, flower of the lily) as their logo, and they have no religious affiliations whatsoever. (At the Statue of "Liberty", there is a plaque dedicating the image to the Earth Mother, Ishtar). Most “churches” decorate with the lilies on “Easter morning”. Instead of inheriting the truth, they inherited Babylon! If we only study history as people, places, and dates without comprehending “why” things occurred as they did, then everything is unorganized. It’s a junkpile. When you assemble it correctly, it all fits together perfectly, clarifying the path we walk on. “Satan” disguises “himself” — “he” is quite often “female”. We know “he” was behind Nimrod, as Moloch, Baal, Mithras, and so on; but “he” is also Ishtar. Sun-Day is “his” diversion; it’s a lie. I refer to “Easter Sun-Day” as “Beaster Sun-Day”. We don’t have to wait for a “beast”, it’s here right now. The patterns and appointments found in the Writings are the ones that are snubbed, excused, and ignored you will notice.
The Creator says:
“Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah (Easter) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and WIPE OUT THEIR NAMES from those places. YOU MUST NOT WORSHIP YHWH YOUR ELOHIM IN THEIR WAY.” Dt. 12. OK, that’s pretty clear. But what happened? The hypothesis of this book states on the outset that as the Pagans were absorbed into Chrisianity, it was the policy to accept everything they were accustomed to celebrating also. Let’s hear it directly from the Catholic organization itself; the Catholic Cardinal John Henry Newman’s book, The Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, published in 1878, states in chapter 8:
“The rulers of the Church from early times were prepared, should the occasion arise, to adopt, to imitate, or to sanctify the existing rites and customs of the population, as well as the philosophy of the educated class. The use of temples and those dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasion with branches of trees (wreaths), incense, lamps, candles, votive offerings on recovering from illnesses, holy water, holy days and seasons (the entire Church calendar), use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields, sacerdotal vestments, the ring in marriage, chants, the Kyrie Eleison — are all of Pagan origin, and sanctified by adoption into the Church.”
There you have it. But, you may ask, “If Easter was a Pagan festival celebrating the impregnation of ‘Mother Earth’, how did it get mixed up with Christianity?” Christianity’s “Pagan Connection” started with one man more than any other. In 325 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine I convened what is now called the Nicene Council, gathering 220 elders (bishops) together, in order to unify basic doctrines (teachings), and establish common practices. This “universalizing” produced the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). The Latin word “Catholic” means universal. There was no “Catholic” on planet Earth prior to this Council.
Constantine’s Council sought to institute new tolerances for Pagan patterns, and outlaw the patterns that the Savior lived by and taught ~ he had already proclaimed “Sun-Day” as a day of rest dedicated to the sun (321 CE), and now it came time to “syncretize” more Paganism. By not “repenting” and turning away from elementary foolishness, it was simpler to just “absorb” the behavior.
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