Happy Easter/ Eostre!

🎨 David Stribbling

Happy Easter Easter /Eostre!  

Spring/April/  is the time of the equinox and the time of celebration of the ancient spring fertility festival honoring the goddess Eostre (Ostara, Oestera). 

This celebration, of pagan origin, pays tribute to the renewal of the Earth, the rebirth of life after the dead of winter. Eostre is the pagan fertility goddess of humans and crops.  

The traditional colors of the festival are green, yellow and purple. The symbols used are hares and eggs, representing fertility (because we all know that bunnies breed like, well, rabbits) and new life. 

Legend has it that Eostre mated with the solar god of the spring equinox and nine months later, at Yule/winter solstice, gave birth to a man/god child.  

The association between Eostre and Easter is complex, with some arguing that Easter traditions like eggs and the Easter bunny are rooted in her worship.

For obvious reasons, eggs have been a symbol of fertility for many cultures since antiquity. The egg is literally new life, so what better representation of the spring, when the time of winter, scarcity and darkness had ended. Eggs, like many traditions that were tied to the fertility of the earth and cycles of the season, became associated with Easter as pagan traditions were absorbed.

Easter Eggs or painted eggs are a Middle Ages tradition which is borne out of the Lenten fast. Since people were fasting, eggs weren't being eaten and were stored up until Easter Sunday. During this time, people began to decorate them to give to children. They were often painted red to symbolise the blood of Jesus, and the shell used to represent the empty tomb of the resurrection.

Chocolate eggs first appeared in the 17th century in France in the court of Louis XIV based on this tradition and in 1725, solid chocolate eggs were produced. The first chocolate Easter egg appeared in Britain in 1873 and then in 1875, Cadbury’s created the modern Easter egg we know today.

In Ukraine, Pysanka eggs historically honored the sun god father of Eostre's child until Christianity came to Ukraine. Eostre is the namesake of the female fertility hormone estrogen.  Her name and festival rituals have been appropriated by Christianity for the church's rebirth-after-death story.   

I've had Christians become quite upset when I've mentioned that many of the Easter symbols and rituals they hold dear have been co-opted from ancient pagan fertility rites. 

Brightly colored eggs, egg hunts themselves, bunnies as bearers of said eggs, the colors, the stories of rebirth after the dead of winter — all are taken from Eostre legends and rituals.  

In reality, Christianity should be embarrassed that it has needed to embellish its Easter tradition by appropriating pagan symbols and rituals for its own use. This cultural appropriation is similar in deed but smaller in scale than the appropriation of pagan Yule traditions (decoration of an evergreen tree in the home, mistletoe, holly, wreath garlands, candle, bells and stars) and calling them Christmas.  Regardless, cultural appropriation is wrong, whatever your motivation.

Symbolic of rebirth, and the quiet turning of the seasons, the Easter Bunny has long delighted children and kindled wonder. In a neo-pagan tale, Eostre, once came upon an injured bird caught in a bitter spring snowstorm.  

Moved by compassion, she transformed the bird into a hare, swift and warm, so it might survive the cold and bound free once more.  Yet magic leaves its mark… and the hare kept the bird’s ancient gift...the ability to lay eggs. 

Each spring, in gratitude to Eostre, it would decorate these eggs in bright colours, leaving them as symbols of life and the promise of warmer days to come....to the delight of generations of children.  

Wishing a happy Easter /Eostre  to everyone who celebrates!  Whether you’ve been  gathering with family and friends, soaking up a bit of spring sunshine, or simply enjoying a peaceful moment – hope  the  day  has  bought  you  much joy and renewal.

Never give up hope that things will get better, even if they look dark for us us now. Hope lives as long as folk fight for justice, democracy and compassion against the global rise of the greedy and the racist right.