The Easter stories are familiar to most people in the North American culture, and of course they are closely associated with the Christian church.
But when you look at the ancient fertility festivals that existed in the past, and have a closer look at the history of Easter symbols and traditions, it soon becomes clear that this is, in essence, a pagan holiday.
There may still be reasons to say it’s Christian as well, connected to Christ’s divinity and His death and resurrection, but the pagan elements are undeniable.
Myths that eventually tied in with the Easter stories of death and resurrection were already well known throughout the Middle East as the church began to form.
For example, the tale of the Phrygian goddess Cybele and the death and eventual resurrection of her lover, Attis, was widespread throughout Anatolia, and other lands around Israel.
The history of Easter, as it was known in the church, likely began with that story and the many other similar myths in the region.
The Easter stories of Christianity, with its own dying and resurrecting god, fit so well with other festivals celebrated in the spring that one might almost think it was planned that way.
Christians may shrink from some of the elements they would consider less savory, especially those dealing with sex and a goddess, yet the origin of Easter does lie in a story about the creation of a new form of life.
Viewed this way, it may be possible for Christians to think of their own Easter celebrations as a culmination of the aspirations of all those earlier fertility cults.
To read more Easter Stories With Symbols And Traditions
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