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The Real Meaning Behind Easter. It All Began in Babylon

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While doing a web search to understand the true origin of Easter, I came across so much confusing and conflicting information that, short of going to the Middle East myself to find the origin of  Easter, I decided to do an in-depth article, with references and citations, on the  true origin of  Easter.  There is much misconception and dis-information that Easter came from Christianity  with  Easter being a celebration of the resurrection of Christ.  This article shall prove otherwise.  As the age of Pisces fades, and we enter the dawning of Aquarius, we are starting to see an  awakening, a new awareness if you will, of where holiday traditions  originated  from and their true meanings. I have written an in-depth article on the emerging of Aquarius and its effects upon humanity and the environment.
 

Spring is in the Air
Spring is the only time of year nature and its power resonates strongest in modern towns and  cities. This is due to the fact that people set off to work without needing to turn on their car  headlights (the sun's light is increasing) .  The alarm clock seems to go off earlier in the  mornings and streetlights are turned off earlier than usual due to the morning sunlight  appearing to approach more rapidly than usual. This is an illusion, the only reason things seem faster is because more light is in the air, due to the sun rising earlier, allowing us to see further  ahead and use less effort in our day to day activities. Hence, this time of year has a more motivating effect, compared to other seasons of the year.

How did Easter acquire so many different names and ways of Celebrating it?
After the great break-up of the tower of Babel (which was built by Nimrod), which caused new languages to be created and people to scatter across the region,  different names started being used for Semiramis and Nimrod. Some called her "Ishtar" (Easter), in other regions, Ostera, Eastre, Eostre and Astarte.  Other names include: Wife of Baal, Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth; the Mother goddess, and the Queen of Heaven (Judges 2:13 and Jeremiah 44:17-19). All these names represented the god of fertility, the goddess of Spring, as Mother Nature and the goddess of the moon.

Semiramis

Where did the original word "Easter" originate from?
According to the Ven. Bede (De temporum ratione, I, v), Easter relates to Estre, which is a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring. Estre is a Pagan deity, which we shall cover in greater detail later.
Reference
The Official Catholic Encyclopedia. Origin of Easter

Conversion to Christianity
Easter began in Babylon, as we shall cover in great detail in a moment. However, let's first examine how Christianly ended up celebrating Easter. In the ancient world, wherever popular, resurrected god myths occurred, Christianity found they had lots of converts. Early Christians were masters at converting people from other religions. Much of this came from the merging of Church and State.

The Emperor Constantine and the Law of Christianity
In 325 AD, Emperor Constantine in the Council Nice made a law that all the Churches were to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.  Nicene Christianity was the sole state church of the Roman Empire during this time in earth's history.  The introduction of the Edict of Thessalonica passed in 380 AD by Emperor Theodosius the first, made Christianity the Empire's sole authorized religion (Forster (2008) p. 41),  (Tony Honoré (1998), p. 5). This became law in what's known as The Edict of Thessalonica (Bettenson (1967), p. 22).

Early Easter Deities
The Phrygo-Roman god Attis was born of a virgin mother on December 25th. He was killed and then resurrected  during the period MAR-22 to MAR-25. Historians believe many of the resurrection legends first stemmed from Attis centuries before the birth of Jesus.  Hence, this may have laid the foundation for early Christianity beliefs about Easter. The Cybele cult flourished on what today is known as Vatican Hill. Cybele's lover Attis, was born of a virgin, died and reborn annually. The spring festival takes place as a day of blood on Black Friday,reaching crescendo after three days. Violent conflicts would take place on Vatican Hill when Christianity was forming.  Fights broke out between Jesus worshippers and pagans who quarreled over who was the one true God.

Summary
Easter was celebrated long before Christianity by various religions and was known by many names that changed throughout history. In the tradition of Christianity, Easter, celebrates the Resurrection of Christ. It is the feast day commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This day is a central event of Christianity and one of their holiest days. The Christian religion married these ancient holidays of Easter into the holiday season of the death and resurrection of Christ.   From 380 AD Christian Beliefs Became Law.   It took 300 + years before Christians accepted the tradition of Easter and recognized it as the first Sunday after the full moon following the March Equinox.  Hence, how pagan can you get when the date of Easter is determined by the phase of the moon? This took place at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. Easter  celebrations during this time heralded a similar celebration called Christmas on December 25, which also originated as a pagan celebration held during the winter solstice. From around 340 AD Christian missionaries, many of whom came from Rome, began travelling through the countryside converting pagans to Christianity, which was the 'new' and 'popular' religion at the time. Ancient Pagan customs and traditions were transferred simply by giving them Christian names. They believed the pagans, who had celebrated Easter long before Christians, would feel more at home in their 'new' religion if they were able to keep their prior beliefs. This also was seen as a technique to keep new converts from being persecuted by their pagan family. In Anglo-Saxon history, Easter, also called Eostre, represents the goddess of the dawn and corresponds to Astarte, Ishtar (identified with the planet Venus), Astoreth and Isis. Ishtar is also known by the following names: Ostara, Eostre, the moon goddess, Semiramis, Egyptian goddess Isis, aka Greek Aphrodite, aka Roman Venus. The English word "Easter" is believed to be derived from a spring festival for a pagan goddess, Eostre. The pagan and Christian celebrations occurred at about the same time of year, so the Christian celebration became known as "Easter" in the English-speaking world. In other languages, the name of the Easter celebration is frequently derived from the Hebrew Pesach (meaning Passover) or the equivalent Greek Pascha. It is known as Pâques in French, Pascua in Spanish and Pasqua in Italian. Christianly today has mixed pagan worship with God worship. 

Today, we are witness to a secular culture celebrating the spring equinox, whilst religious culture celebrates the resurrection.  Early Christianity made a pragmatic acceptance of ancient pagan practices and copied many of their traditions. If we go back further we see that Easter  originated from Babylon.  Hence, over time, if we look at the major religions, the ancient Egyptians copied Easter from the Babylonians.  The Pagans copied Easter from the Egyptians (and possibly the Jews) and Christianity copied Easter from  the Pagans.

The Sun's Passage Across the Sky and Easter.  The Equal-Nox
Spring Equinox occurs on a day during late March when daylight and nighttime hours are of equal length. Hence the name Equal-nox. Celebrations involving certain positions of the sun (Christmas, Easter etc.) take place due to the sun's influence upon life on earth.  Early pagans were aware of these effects and celebrated them as rituals.  During the yearly Summer Solstice (approx. June 20th each year) the sun is at its highest point in the sky.  It is also a time when our sun appears furthest north on the horizon. Exactly when it happens depends on where you are located on the surface of the Earth. After the summer solstice, the sun begins dropping / moving one degree from the horizon each day (heading south). To the ancient pagans the sun appears to be falling (the season Fall). The September Fall Equinox (approx. September 22nd each year) marks its halfway falling point. During this time, our sun aligns with the constellation Scorpio (the kiss of death) as daylight hours get shorter and  shorter. This reduction of light continues until the December Solstice (approx. December 21st each year). If you live in the northern hemisphere it is the coolest day of the year due to less sun, however if you live in the  southern hemisphere it is the hottest day of the year due to longer days of light.

Around December 21st each year, the sun appears to "stand still" in the sky for 3 days, setting at the same southern  point in earth's sky, not moving north nor south (the sun appears to be dead in the water with no more movement). Around December 25th (Christmas day. Jesus Mithra birthdays) the sun begins moving northwards again (North star trajectory), one degree at a time (re-birth) Biblical Quote - “I will raise you up on the third day”. In the northern hemisphere, another halfway point takes place at the Spring Equinox, also commonly called the Vernal equinox (approx. March 21st each year).  At this time the sun starts its journey over earth's equator (rebirth, fertility, new growing season, renewal of life). It is during this time that the sun is in the constellation of Aries. Hence on the first day of spring, daylight hours are longer than the length of time between the sun crossing the horizon during dawn and when it crosses the horizon at sunset.

Biblical  Quote - "The Celebration of Passover".

The ancient Egyptians celebrated this day as Sham el-Nessim. The cycle then completes itself as the summer solstice returns. Depending upon which hemisphere you live in, Passover can be associated with death (a person passes over or has passed away) or rebirth (Passover). The ancient Egyptians believed that when death occurred,  the spirit 'passes over' into the heavens. This belief was later copied by Christians and designated Easter or Passover. If you were to stand at the north pole on vernal equinox day, you would see the sun skimming across the horizon. This would herald six months of uninterrupted daylight. If you were to stand at the South Pole during the vernal equinox, you would also see the sun skimming across the horizon, marking the start of six months of darkness.

Summary
Easter is the sun's passing over earth's equator. In the northern hemisphere it is celebrated as re-birth and fertility.  This turned into a worldwide tradition regardless of a person's location, hence causing confusion.

When was Easter first Celebrated by Christianity?
The very first observance of the Christian celebration of Easter is seen in the second century (Scaff. History of the  Christian Church. II:207; Latourettte. A history of Christianity, I:137). In Asia Minor, Christians observed Crucifixion the same day Jews celebrated Passover (the 14th day of the first full moon of spring, 14 Nisan (see Jewish calendar). Resurrection was then observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it was. In Europe, the Resurrection was celebrated the first day of the week, Sunday (when Jesus rose from the  dead).  Hence Easter was always celebrated during the very first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan.
 
Passover was Easter for Christianity
The King James Version states it in Acts 12:4 shows where a celebration of Easter is substituted as Passover. It is also mentioned in the Revised Version (British and American). These 2 events are closely related to each other. The Last Supper of Jesus was a Passover Seder. After Jesus' disciples proclaimed Jesu's resurrection, they celebrated a yearly Passover to remember his death and later resurrection.
Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead at the time of the Jewish Passover celebration, but there is no mention of an annual celebration in the Bible. Early Christians commemorated Jesus' resurrection on or near the date of Passover, and the celebration was apparently well- stablished by the mid second century A.D.1. This was due to the use of different calendar systems over the years.  Due to this, dates of Passover and Easter have drifted apart from one another from when they were first observed.

Early Jewish Christians celebrated Passover / Easter by a fast which, regulated by the paschal moon, beginning on the evening of the 14th day of the moon (moon celebrations are of pagan origin) of the month of Nican (without observance to a standard day of the week). This ended at the hour of the crucifixion (at 3 o'clock on  Friday) followed by a second fast until the hour of the resurrection before dawn on Easter morning. Gentile Christians observed the first day of the week (the Sunday of the resurrection, irrespective of the day of the month). Over time differences arose as to the proper Sunday for Easter celebrations. This led to long controversies.

The Timeline of Jesus’ Death, Resurrection and Lent
The Christian bible states that Jesus would be in the “heart of the earth” for three days and nights (72 hours) and then would rise up again (the resurrection). The period from Good Friday to Easter Sunday is two nights and one day. Let's explore this timeline in greater detail. Early records indicate that Jesus entered Jerusalem and was welcomed by crowds on Sunday in the year 29 or 30 A.D. (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19). Jesus ate his Last Supper with His disciples on Thursday (Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-20, John 13:1-38).  Jesus was then arrested that night, tried, and crucified on Friday, Passover Eve (Matthew 26:47-75, 27:1-66, Mark 14:43-72, 15:1-47, Luke 22:47-71, 23:1-56, John  18:2-40, 19:1-42).  Jesus than rose from the dead on Sunday (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12,  John 20:1-10). He then next appeared to His disciples during the following week (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-25). Next Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection (Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:44-53, Acts 1:3-11).

House Blessings
On the evening of Easter, homes are blessed (Rit. Rom., tit. 8, c. iv). This is done to symbolize the passing of the angel in Egypt and the marking of door-posts with the blood of the paschal lamb. Parish priests visit the houses and papal apartments are also blessed. The pope's private room is blessed by the pontiff himself (Moroni, Dizionaria, s.v. Pasqua).

Where is Easter Mentioned in the Bible?
The New Testament Bible has no mention of Easter, even in the early writings of the Apostles. It was at this time however, Easter had been observed en masse by European Pagans, the Druids and similar religious groups throughout Europe.  The word "Easter" appears once in the King James Version of the Bible (Acts 12:4), but that was a mistranslation of  the Greek word Pascha. All other Bible versions translate it correctly as "Passover." Because Easter was not celebrated by early Christians until much later on, the word Passover appears in Acts 12:4 as Pascha, meaning 'a passing over', which references the Jewish Passover celebrated on the 14th of the month of Nisan.  The word also appears in Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 2:41: Luke 2:1 and John 2:13 and John 2:23. In all cases, except the King James version, it is translated as Passover.

Summary
The name "Easter" (used in the translation of Acts 12:4), is mentioned in the early bible as Passover. Easter celebrations originally coincided with the Jewish Passover (when Christ was crucified).

The Christian Take on Easter
The Easter feast is regarded as the greatest in the Christian church. The Christian calendar finds Easter following Lent, which is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter.  The practice involves acts of penance and fasting. Easter is than immediately preceded by Holy Week. This includes Maundy Thursday, which is the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples; Good Friday, the day of Christ's Crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, which is the transition between Christ's Crucifixion and his Resurrection. The Easter celebration represents the solemn rite of baptism. Preparatory liturgical acts took place during the early evening and continued into the night. If a large number of people were to be baptized, both the sacramental ceremonies and the Easter celebration became united. As the 4th century approached, the Great Easter Vigil was well known and practiced. It was celebrated as a spirit of joyful anticipation of the Resurrection. This was due to the belief that Jesus’ Second Coming would take place on Easter (the return of Jesus). Liturgically speaking, Easter arrives after the Great Vigil. The Great Vigil was originally observed between sunset on Easter Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday. Later on during this time period would be celebrated in Western churches on Saturday afternoons and evenings and on Sunday morning. The Roman Catholic Church set the time for the Great Vigil at 10 PM in 1955.  This allowed Easter mass to be celebrated after midnight. Orthodox traditions allowed the vigil to continue as an important liturgical event. Protestant churches do not observe the Great Vigil. Father Smith of the Catholic Church states that to be regarded as Catholic, they must attend Church at least once per year during Easter Time (Faster Smith Instructs Jackson 159).

Easter Sunrise
The Easter sunrise is observed by Protestants in North America. The practice derives from the Gospel narrative of Jesus’ Resurrection. The Gospel states that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb “while it was still dark” (John 20:1) or as dawn was breaking (Matthew 28:1 and Luke 24:1). Hence the service is zymology of jubilation that takes place when the sun rises to dispel the darkness.

Baptism at Easter
The zymology of baptism during Easter comes from early Christianity during the 4th century, as baptism was practiced once per year during Easter. During Roman Catholic services, priests bless the water which is to be used in the forthcoming year for baptism and the faithful take some of that water with them to receive protection from qvicissitudes. Anglican and Lutheran churches use variations of this tradition.

Jews first began observing Passover approximately 3,000 years ago.

Christians first began observing Passover in the mid-2nd century


Early Easter Names
Easter celebrated during the third and fourth centuries was known as Pasch, or the Passover.   This celebration was not an official celebration of the church. However it was observed by many Christians, in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ.  Let's take a look at some of the common names used to observe Easter throughout history. The word Easter derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as in albis, a Latin phrase which is the plural of alba (“dawn”). This in turn became eostarum in Old High German, which is the precursor of today's modern German and English term. Latin and Greek Pascha (“Passover”) means the root for Pâques, which is the French word for Easter. Another origin of the name Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to which the  month of April is dedicated. The festival was celebrated during day of the spring vernal equinox.
Reference
Encarta Encyclopedia, article: Easter.

The Greek term for Easter is pascha anastasimon representing Good Friday. Latin terms for Easter are Pascha resurrectionis and Pascha crucifixionis. Roman and Monastic Breviaries terms for Easter mean Dominica Resurrectionis. Celtic and Teutonic nations use the terms  Scottish, Pask; Dutch, Paschen to represent Easter. New Dutch terms include Pasen Danish, Paaske; Swedish, Pask. German provinces of the Lower Rhine call it the feast Paisken.  In Spain and Italy the term is solemnity. In France it is called Pâques.

Easter and the Feast
Leo I (Sermo xlvii in Exodum) states Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter. Other alternative names of Easter include: Ostra, Ostrara, Ostara, Eostre and Eastre.

Some Early Easter Historical Deities

Inanna
The ancient Sumerian goddess named Inanna was hung naked on a stake.  Inanna then became resurrected and ascended from the underworld.

Horus
An ancient Egyptian deity, Horus was born on 25 December and his damaged eye became a symbol of life and rebirth.

Mithras
ithras (associated with sol invictus) was born on Christmas day. His followers celebrated the spring equinox.

Dionysus
Dionysus is represented as a divine child that was resurrected by his grandmother. Dionysus brought his mother, Semele, back to life. Easter parallels the German word Ostern. The Venerable Bede written in the 8th century states Ostern it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, which is the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and spring. Today Easter is a Saxon word (Eostre), meaning goddess of the Saxons, whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. The name originated from the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred at the time of the Passover. In early versions, the word meant the Greek term pascha (the Passover).

Shifting Calendar Dates of Easter. Time
Apart from the Jewish feast, Christians celebrated the anniversary of the death and the Resurrection of Christ. The exact calendar date of Christ's death was key to this. It was the day after the 14th of the first month, the 15th of Nisan of their calendar. In other countries of the Roman Empire, other systems of chronology existed. Romans from 45 B.C. used the reformed Julian calendar and also the Egyptian and the Syro-Macedonian calendars. The Jewish calendar used the lunar year of 354 days, and other calendars depended on the solar year. This caused a conflict in that the first days of the Jewish months and years were not able to constantly coincide with any fixed days of the Roman solar year. Hence, Easter had no fixed date. This moving of the dates of Easter every year (22 March to 25 April) causes inconveniences, even in today's modern era.  Computus paschalis (a method of determining the date of Easter and its feasts) was considered so important that  Durandus declared that a priest was unworthy of his position if he could not use the computus paschalis to find the true date Easter took place every year (Rit. div. off., 8, c.i.). For decades mathematicians and priests worked in vain for a simplification of the computus, allowing for Easter to be assigned to the first Sunday in April or to the Sunday nearest to the 7th of April every year 

References
L. Günther, "Zeitschrift Weltall" (1903); Sandhage and P. Dueren in "Pastor bonus" (Trier,1906); 
C. Tondini, "L'Italia e la questione del Calendario" (Florence, 1905).

The First Council of Nicaea (325) stated the Roman calendar should be used to determine the dates of Easter. Those who continued to keep Easter with Jews were branded Quartodecimans (14 Nisan) and hence were expelled from  the Church. In Rome and Alexandria, Easter was celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. This tradition of observing the moon for celebrations is a pagan tradition.

The Full Moon of Spring
The first full moon after the spring equinox represents the egg and fertility. The Roman Church also observed this under the authority of St. Peter and St. Paul. In Gaul a number of bishops, wanting to escape the difficulties of the exact date of Easter, assigned Easter to a fixed date of the Roman calendar, celebrating it on 25 March. There exist numerous calendars in the Middle Ages that show these dates (25 March, 27 March) (Grotenfend, Zeitrechnung, II, 46, 60, 72, 106, 110, etc.). Montanists in Asia Minor observed Easter on the Sunday after 6 April (Schmid, Osterfestberechnung in der abendlandischen Kirche). Today, Easter is calculated by the phase of the moon. If the full moon falls on a Sunday, than Easter is moved up to the following Sunday. Today, as of 2018, Easter Sunday cannot be celebrated before March 22nd or after April 25th (Webster).

The Very Beginnings of Easter
According to the Ven. Bede (De temporum ratione, I, v), Easter relates to Estre, which is a Teutonic goddess of the  rising light of day and spring. Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring is a Pagan deity.
Reference
From the Official Catholic Encyclopedia

Eastre or Estera is a Teutonic goddess to whom sacrifices were made during early April every year. This caused the name to be transferred to the Passover feast. The ancient Babylonians celebrated Ishtar Sunday (Easter Sunday) as the return of their god Ishtar, which was also called Dianna or Isis (the goddess of spring), marking the goddess of nature / reincarnation of nature. This was seen as the re-birth of Nature and its goddess. The Babylonian goddess Ostara is said to return reincarnated as the Spring Goddess Ishtar on the Sunday after the first new moon.  Hence the Friday known as Easter Friday occurs the Sunday before Easter. Babylonian texts state  each  year an egg would fall from heaven, landing in the region of the Euphrates River and Ishtar would hatch out of the egg. Hence our modern day Easter baskets and Easter eggs. From Ostara we get the name Ishtar. From Ishtar we obtain the name Easter. Both are Babylonian goddesses. If we dig a little deeper we see that Ishtar was Semiramis the wife of Nimrod, and one of the original founders of the Luciferian/Babylonian Mysteries. When Nimrod died, Semiramis created a legend stating he was her “divine son” and born to her via a virgin Birth. Semiramis is believed to be the co-founder of all occult religions on earth with Cain and Nimrod playing various roles. It was Semiramis and Nimrod who set themselves up as gods and goddesses to be worshipped. Nimrod was the sun (Baal, Janus, Saturn, Baalim, Bel, Osiris, Bacchus, Baal and Moloch) and built the tower of  Babel. If indeed Baal had been worshipped originally in Britain, than Asarte was also worshipped by early British ancestors. From Astarte (whose name in Nineveh was Ishtar) the celebratory solemnities during April are now  known as Easter. This was celebrated by early Pagans as Easter-monath. Several ancient non-Christian traditions survive in children's  celebrations of Easter. "Easter eggs" are colored in bright colors and used in Easter egg hunts or rolling contests. Rabbits, a symbol of springtime fertility, are depicted as the "Easter Bunny" in children's literature.

The origins of the Easter Bunny
Pagan beliefs state Eostre (Easter) saved the frozen wings of a bird from a harsh winter by turning it into a magickal, egg laying hare. The origin of the rabbit in zymology is an ancient pagan symbol for fertility (Simrock, Mythologie, 551). The Easter bunny also represents a goddess totem. Semiramis, the goddess of fertility, is associated with the moon. Hence, the Easter Bunny is named after the Mother goddess. The first reference to an Easter Bunny in Europe occurred during the 16th-century in a German tale  about a mysterious creature  named Oschter Haws, or Easter Hare.  This hare visited children while they slept and rewarded them for their good  behavior. The children were to make nests for the hare, and the hare would lay colored eggs in them. During the 1800's, as German immigrants came to the United States, this tradition was brought with them. Over time, the hare became the rabbit. Today rabbits are a symbol of powerful, fast and vibrant fertility, due to their rapid rate of reproduction. 

Bunnies to not Lay Eggs
Rabbits do not lay eggs! While the rabbit is represented as a fertility symbol, no logical way exists to connect the rabbit with an egg.  Hence the Egyptian symbol for fertility has gotten lost in the merging of Christian and Pagan traditions. Other theories are that hares are associated with new life, due to their high fertility rate and that hares have a connection with the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, the goddess from whose name "Easter" may be derived.  Eostre was the goddess of renewal who brought about the reappearance of baby chickens, bright flowers and baby bunnies all from their dens after winter In ancient Egypt the hare was a symbol of fertility (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991 ed., Vol. 4, p. 333). Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. The mundane egg represented the emblem of generative life,  proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt.

The Egg of Babylon, 
In ancient Egypt Dyed eggs were offered as sacred offerings, as they are still are today in Europe and China. Hence Spring / Easter is the season of birth both celestial and terrestrial (Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, James Bonwick, pp. 211-212). hatching the Venus Ishtar, as it fell from heaven towards the Euphrates is another representation of Easter.

Handball Games and the Bouncing Bunny
As the sun crosses the equator, it "hops" over the equator, as zymology to the bouncing rabbit. Handball playing took place in France as an Easter amusement to symbolize this, which also took place in Germany (Simrock, op.  cit., 575). The ball represents the sun, as it takes three leaps in rising during Easter morning.  Priests, bishops and monks would play ball during Easter week (Beleth, Expl. Div. off., 120) which was called  libertas Decembrica. The ball game was originally connected with dance. At Auxerre, Besançon, etc. this dance was performed in church ("Victimae paschali"). The Origins of the Easter egg, being an ancient Babylonian symbol of fertility, represented Semiramis the goddess of fertility. The yoke represents the sun god Baal and the white the white goddess Semiramis with the entire egg was as a symbol of Nimrod’s / Tammuz's rebirth. Painted and decorated Easter eggs were recorded during the early 13th century. Because the church prohibited eating of eggs during Holy Week, chickens continued to lay eggs. This surplus of eggs came to be known as “Holy Week” where the excess eggs were decorated. Hence, the egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection (Jesus rose from the tomb), the egg symbolizing new life as it emerges from the eggshell. Ancient Druids bore the egg, which was a sacred emblem of their order. the Dionysiaca, also known as the mysteries of Bacchus, which was celebrated in Athens, one part of their night time ceremony consisted in the consecration of a egg. The eggs are a symbolic representation of new life. For example, a hard shell contains new life; the tomb of Jesus contained his resurrection body. This 'rising from the dead' may have originated in paganism.  Many pagan customs celebrate the return of spring. Pagan beliefs centered around the egg as the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. The meaning of 'new creation of mankind' by Jesus rising from the grave was adopted during later times.

The Meaning of Decorated Eggs
f Decorated eggs are used by children during Easter as a game (egg picking or egg rolling) which tests the strength of the shells (Kraus, Real-Encyklopædie, s.v. Ei). The Hindoo fables paint their eggs as a golden color. In Japan, the egg is brazen. In China painted eggs are used in sacred festivals.
 
The Symbolism of the Easter Egg  
The sacred eggs can be traced to the banks of the Euphrates. Classic poets spin numerous fables of mystic eggs of the Babylonians. Hyginus, the learned keeper of the Palatine library at Rome, speaks of during the time of Augustus "An egg of wondrous size is said to have fallen from heaven into the river Euphrates. The fishes rolled it to the bank, where the doves having settled upon it, and hatched it, out came Venus, who afterwards was called the Syrian Goddess". Today we know that the Syrian Goddess is also called Astarte. The name Astarte is a Latin baby name. Her meaning in Latin is Phoenician goddess of love. Hence, we can see that the egg became a symbol of Astarte or Easter.
The Romish Church choose to adopt the egg of Astarte and began consecrating it as a symbol of Christ's resurrection. Quote from Pope Paul V "Bless, O Lord, we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance unto thy servants, eating it in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Scottish  Guardian, April, 1844).  In Cyprus during the worship of Venus, or Astarte, an egg of wondrous size was displayed on a grand scale.

Noah's Ark and the Easter Egg
There is a belief that the egg had reference to the ark during the time of the great flood on earth. It was during this time the whole human race was shut up inside, as a chick is enclosed in the egg before it hatches. Genesis 11:1, "The whole earth was of one language and of one  speech". Hence after the great flood, the egg cracks and peoples are scattered throughout the earth.

Decorated Easter Eggs
In the United States it is the Easter rabbit that leaves children baskets filled with toys and candies on Easter morning. In some European regions such as Switzerland the cuckoo lays the eggs, in Westphalia it is the fox that brings the  eggs. There also exists evidence that ancient Christian communities in Mesopotamia observed the Easter tradition of egg dyeing. This may have originated in ancient Christian communities in Mesopotamia which would paint chicken eggs red to symbolize the blood of Jesus. This practice continues to this day in Orthodox Christian churches. This custom is observed in the Latin and Oriental Churches.

The Pomegranate as a Symbol of Knowledge and Fertility
Besides the egg, another emblem of Easter existed which was the Rimmon or "pomegranate".  Besides the egg, the pomegranate is an ancient symbol of fertility. In Japan, Kishimojin or Kariteimo, is a goddess which is worshiped by infertile women who wish for fertility. She is regarded as the Buddhist Goddess of Easy Delivery, Guardian of Children and Giver of Children. Often she is depicted suckling an infant while holding a Pomegranate in her right hand. The pomegranate was originally dedicated to the Phoenician mother goddesses Astarte. Astarte is sometimes depicted holding a pomegranate. The word Pomegranate also has another meaning. Astarte, or Cybele, was also known as Idaia Mater. The sacred mount in Phrygia, which was a region famed for celebration of her mysteries, was called Mount Ida, Mount of 
Knowledge. "Idaia Mater," then converts to "the Mother of Knowledge". Therefore, the mother of knowledge, was depicted with the pomegranate in her extended hand, as a symbol for those who ascended to the sacred mountain as initiates into her mysteries. This symbolic meaning could also represent Adam and Eve, where Eve bit into a Pomegranate, not being initiated into the order of the mysteries, thus bringing death upon the world. Hence the period of Lent of abstaining from eggs for 40 days.  Hence the mentioning of the Romish queen of heaven leads one to believe the sin of Eve is much the same light as that in which Paganism regarded it. In the solemn service in the Romish Missal known as the Canon of the Mass, the following expression occurs "Oh blessed fault, which didst procure such a Redeemer!" Then there is the story of the gardens of the Hesperides, which is believed to be the counterpart of the paradise of Eden in the East. They exist along the coast of Africa and tales mention a guarded "golden fruit" on a sacred tree. The classic Pagan theory clearly shows no temptation serpent exists in the "islands of the blest'. Instead it was the symbol of the Devil that prohibited them from partaking of the sacred fruit. Hercules (Grecian), a form of the Pagan Messiah, killed the serpent that grudged mankind, which was necessary to make them perfectly wise and happy.  Hence we see parallels between Eve and the Snake in the Garden of Eden. It is at this juncture we see God and the devil exchanging places. Jehovah prohibited man from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, symbolized as the serpent, and he who emancipated mankind from Jehovah's yoke gave him the fruit of the forbidden tree.

Summary
Hercules is celebrated as the gracious deliverer of the human race.

Scotland's Easter Oranges
So what of countries where pomegranates don't grow, or where the weather is too cold or barren for chickens, foxes or rabbits?  In Scotland, we see the orange used as a symbolic egg during Easter.  This is why the Papists of Scotland join oranges with their eggs at Easter. As a  matter of fact, even today (2018) every Easter Monday the local town at Carlisle Park in Scotland has their leaders distribute oranges to all the children.

Who Invented the Edible Easter Egg?
The National Confectioner's Association states the first edible Easter eggs appeared during the 19th-century in Europe. Germans made them out of sugar and pastries.  They then slipped them into the bonnets that children had previously laid out overnight. The bonnets were precursors to today's Easter baskets. During the early 1930s, people associated the oval shape of jelly beans with miniature eggs. Over time developments and innovations in candy production technology allowed the popularity of the chocolate covered Easter candy to rise to where it is today.
 
The custom of Lent & The Death and Resurrection of Tammuz
The period of Lent was an indispensable preliminary to the annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz.  This celebration involved alternate weeping and rejoicing.  This event took place considerably later than the Christian Celebration of 'Easter' being observed in Palestine and Assyria in June. Hence, being called the "month of Tammuz".  This took place in Egypt around the middle of May, and in Britain it took place around April.  During Babylonian times, when Queen Semiramis gave birth to a son via a virgin birth, she claimed he was Nimrod reincarnated (Nimrod Tammuz) and claimed he was the promised seed of God (Genesis 3:15). Semiramis thus set herself up as the mediator between man and "god".  Hence worshippers had to pray through her to reach their 'god'. Nimrod was God of the Sun and Queen Semiramis the Queen of Heaven, goddess of the moon and fertility. After Nimrod Tammuz died, he descended into the underworld. Through the weeping of his mother, he was revived  via the vegetation-in Spring! (EZEKIEL 8:14) This revival of Nimrod Tammuz is celebrated as Ostara (Easter), in honor of his mother.  This was due to her  weeping which brought him back from the dead.

When does Lent Start?
Quote from Socrates in AD 450 "Those who inhabit the princely city of Rome fast together before Easter three weeks, excepting the Saturday and Lord's-day." For Christians, lent begins 46 days before Easter on Ash Wednesday. Palm Sunday, one week before Easter. This celebrates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem the week he was crucified, as cheering crowds were welcoming Him with Palm branches.  Good Friday which takes place before Easter celebrates Jesus' crucifixion.

Where did the Observance of Lent Come From?
In the days of Tertullian, at  the end of the second century, Passover was the 23rd of March and there was no practice of Lent.  The forty days' abstinence of the practice of Lent came from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. This forty day period during the spring of the year is still observed today by the Yezidis or Pagan Devil worshippers of Koordistan, who inherited it from their early teachers who may have originally been Babylonian. This Lent of forty days was also observed during spring by Pagan Mexicans. Humboldt states "Three days after the vernal  equinox...began a solemn fast of forty days in honor of the sun." Consulting Wilkinson's Egyptians, we see Lent observed for 40 days. Landseer, in his Sabean  studies states that Lent was held to celebrate Adonis or Osiris, the great mediatorial god. The rape of Proserpine is celebrated in a similar fashion.  Julius Firmicus states for forty nights the wailing for Proserpine continued. From Arnobius we see the fast called "Castus" or the "sacred" fast which Pagans observed. This means the forty days' fast of Lent was made in modern times to have reference to both. The long fast of Ceres was where for many days she refused to eat on account of her "excess of sorrow" due to the loss of her daughter Proserpine who was carried away by Pluto, god of hell. Clearly we see the connections between the stories of Adonis, Bacchus and Proserpine as throughout history they have been made to fit in-to one another. Hence, Bacchus becomes Liber, and his wife Ariadne, Libera (one of the names of Proserpine). 

Where did the number of 40 days as the time of Lent Originate?
Lent originally stemmed from the Babylonian god Tammuz who died at 40. Celebration after Lent since the 12th century, the Lenten fast ended on Easter with meals that consisted of ham, eggs, cheeses, sweets and bread that have been blessed. The Russians and Greeks after a long, severe Lent, would make Easter a day of sports. At Constantinople, the cemetery of Pera is where Greeks dance to music. In major cities in Russia anyone can enter the belfries on Easter and ring the bells.

Meaning of the Easter Ham
Mythology states that the Babylonian God Tammuz was killed by a wild boar while hunting. Hence the consumption of ham during Easter. In Christianity, the custom of the Easter lamb comes from the Scripture, “behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world,”   John 1:29). Early Christians placed lamb meat under the altar and had it blessed by the priests. They then  would consume it on Easter day.

Summary
The season of lent shows up after the council of Nicea. It took Christianity over 300+ years to incorporate fasting for forty days before the date of Easter Sunday. Pagans and other religions had been celebrating Easter or various forms of it since it began in Babylonian times at the 
dawn of humanity.

The connection between the Jewish Passover and the Easter Feast
The Jewish Spring festival Purim (begins late February and ends around March 1st each year) has its central character Esther.  Esther was a queen who kept the evil Haman from killing her tribe. Christ died on the first Jewish Easter Day. Hence the Jewish feast moved to the Christian
Easter celebration (the  liturgy) (Exsultet).

The Greek Take on Easter
The Greek term for Easter is pascha anastasimon representing Good Friday. Latin terms for Easter are Pascha resurrectionis and Pascha crucifixionis. In the 5th Century, the monk Cassianus stated: "It ought to be known that the observance of the forty days had no existence, so long as the perfection of that primitive Church remained inviolate." The ancient ecclesiastical historian Socrates wrote a lengthly account of the many different ways which Easter was  celebrated in the different countries. Quote - "Thus much already laid down may seem a sufficient treatise to prove that the celebration of the feast of Easter began everywhere more of custom than by any commandment either of Christ or any Apostle." (Hist. Ecclesiast), Hence we can clearly see that Rome harbors the same feelings as Paganism and has so adopted the same symbols when the opportunity presents itself.
 
The Pagan Take on Easter. The Pagan Fire Celebration at Easter
On the top of certain mountains (Easter mountain, Osterberg) a gigantic fire is lit, which is kindled from wood by  friction (nodfyr).  This custom of starting the fire from scratch is of pagan origin and signifies the victory of spring over winter. The late Lady Baird, of Fern Tower, in Perthshire A writer in "Notes and Queries," states that on Beltane (1st of May),  men and women gather at an ancient Druidical  circle of stones near Crieff. They then light a fire in the center of these stones and each person places a piece of  oat-cake in a shepherd's bonnet.   Next, while blindfold, they partake of a piece from the bonnet. One piece of the oat-cake has been previously blackened, and the person gets that piece jumps through the fire in the center of the circle. This practice is a part of the ancient worship of Baal. Early worship of Baal involved burning the person as a sacrifice. Today the passing through the fire represents the redemption of the victim. Pagans in early history would commit human sacrifices on the first Sunday after the first new moon, after Ostara/Eostre. Christian bishops issued severe edicts against these Easter fires (Conc. Germanicum, a. 742, c.v.; Council of Lestines, a. 743, n. 15), but were unsuccessful in their attempts to abolishing them. Eventually these fires were adopted into the church (the fiery column in the desert, the Resurrection of Christ).

Christianity copies the Easter Pagan Tradition
Early pagans celebrated early spring by honoring the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre.  As the early missionaries were converting the Saxons to Christianity, they noted that the Easter celebration took place about the same time as the observance of Christ's resurrection from the dead.  This was than merged with the pagan tradition, and became what we now know as Easter.  Hence its true meaning was changed to reflect a new Christian orientation. Today Easter for Christians recognizes Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Before Pagans Celebrated Easter
It appears then that Easter has been a major celebration since the dawn of human civilization. We see the very earliest references to Easter mentioned in the Babylonian texts.  This verifies that Easter is not Christian in origin. Babylonian texts state Easter is Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis; called the queen of heaven. This name is found on the original Assyrian monuments.  That name is Ishtar. Worshiping of Bel and Astarte was celebrated by the Druids in Britain as  "the priests of the groves."  There are some that believe that Druid worship was introduced by the Phoenicians, who before Christianity arrived, traded to the tin-mines of Cornwall. However, these traces of worship are found in the British islands where the Phoenicians never set foot. From Bel we get Beltane which is celebrated on the first of May.  Today customs still exist that link the worship of Bel or Moloch (both titles are the same god) to the northern parts of this island.

The story of the Babylonian Names Semiramis, Astarte and Athena
Where does the name Astarte come from? Semiramis, the name of Astarte, was worshipped as an incarnation of the Spirit of God.  Hence we see a clear connection that "the Syrian goddess" was Astarte (LAYARD'S Nineveh and its Remains). Now Astarte is represented by Semiramis by Athenagoras (Legatio), and by Lucian (De Dea Syria). The name has reference to her being Rhea or Cybele, which means 'the tower bearing goddess'. Ovid (Opera) states that "made (towers) in cities".  Layard states that in the Syrian temple of Hierapolis, Dea Syria or Astarte was represented as standing on a lion  which was crowned with towers. Hence the character of Semiramis, as queen of Babylon, is portrayed in the name of "Ash-tart." This means "The woman that made towers." Also the last syllable "tart" comes from the ancient Hebrew verb "Tr." "Tr" means "to go round." Also nouns derived from this signify "to surround," "to be round," or "encompass." In masculine terms "Tor" is used for "a border or row of jewels round the head" (see PARKHURST and also  GESENIUS). In feminine terms, as shown by Hesychius (Lexicon), we see it more decisively brought out. Turis means Turit in Greek.  The final t (in the Greek language), being converted into s. Ash-turit, is obviously the same as the Hebrew "Ashtoreth," means "The woman that made the encompassing wall." Athena, the Minerva of Athens, is known as the goddess of wisdom, the inventers’ of arts and sciences. The name Astarte also stands for the "Maker of investigations" and was applicable to Semiramis or Cybele which is  symbolized by the Dove.
 
Summary
The meanings of the name Astarte can be compared with the cognate names Astraea (in Greek Astraia) and Asterie which come from taking the last member of the compound word in the masculine, instead of the feminine. Hence Teri, or Tri (the latter being Trai or Trae) is the same as Tart. Asterie was the wife of Perseus (the Assyrian Herodotus), who was the original founder of Mysteries (BRYANT). Asterie was also represented as the daughter of Bel. This shows a similar position to Semiramis. Astraea the goddess of justice, who is identified as the heavenly virgin Themis. This name signifies "the perfect one." Themis gave oracles (OVID, Metam.) and lived on earth before the Flood. Astraea and Themis both have the same characters as the goddesses of justice. What name could more exactly match with a character of a goddess of  justice than Ash-trai-a? (maker of  investigations) (searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God).  Ovid states that Astraea was the last of celestial beings who chose to remain on earth, signaling the great

The Meaning of Hot Cross Buns
The dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday were prominent symbols in the Chaldean rites and still are today. The "buns" were used during the worship of the goddess Easter, the queen of heaven, as early as the days of Cecrops who was the founder of Athens.  This took place 1500 
years before the Christian era began. Historian Diogenes Laertius states the offering being made by Empedocles, described the chief ingredients as the following - ""He offered one of the sacred cakes called Boun, which was made of fine flour and honey." Jeremiah, an early biblical prophet states, "The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven." It is this very phrase used by the prophet that the word "bun" seems to come from. The Hebrew word, with the points included was pronounced 'Khavan' In Greek this became Kapan-os (PHOTIUS, Lexicon Syttoge); at other times, Khabon (NEANDER, in KITTO'S Biblical Cyclopoedia). The first shows how Khvan, when pronounced as a single syllable, passed onto the Latin panis, "bread,". The second, Khvon becomes Bon or Bun. The common English word Loa has gone through a similar process throughout history. In Anglo-Saxon it was known as Hlaf.  Hot cross buns are eaten during the festival of Astarte.The sun's position in the sky is hottest in the southern hemisphere during Easter and the position of the sun's movement across the sky can be interpreted as a cross type path / trajectory. One example being the vernal equinox occurs when the center of the sun crosses the Equator. Hence the name 'hot cross bun'. In the northern hemisphere early church clergy tried to put a stop to cakes being baked at Easter.

Erratic Behavior Observed during Spring
It is interesting to note that research has shown that suicides are more common during spring  (Seasonality of Suicidal Behavior. Jong-Min Woo. Feb 2012).

The Great Pyramid of Egypt
The Great Pyramid of Egypt serves as an enormous seasonal sun dial. It's to the north and its reflected sunlight to the south mark the dates of the spring and fall equinoxes. Two faces of the great pyramid are aligned east and west, representing the rising and setting sun on the spring 
and fall equinoxes.

America’s Founders and Easter
The children’s book Easter Parade: Welcome Sweet Spring Time!, by Steve Englehart, on page 4, reads, “When the Puritans came to North America, they regarded the celebration of Easter—and the celebration of  Christmas—with suspicion. They knew that pagans had celebrated the return of spring long before Christians celebrated Easter…for the first two hundred years of  European life in North America, only a few states, mostly in the South, paid much attention to  Easter.” It was only after America's the Civil War did Americans begin celebrating Easter. Easter  first became an American  tradition during the 1870s”.  The white rabbit and its eggs were  chosen, not only because they were widespread throughout Europe at the time,  but because the color white represses the full moon in spring, and the moon is the fastest orbiting body in  our solar system. An example of Easter zymology according to region can also be found in Hawaii. Whales travel from Alaska to Hawaiian waters every spring to give birth to their young,  which represents a potent symbol of birth and fertility.

The Spring Equinox Oddity
The Spring equinox is usually always on March 20th or 21st.  However some years it occurs on March 19th. During  1582 Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar, which has remained constant to this day. The Gregorian calendar accounts for the Equinox Oddity. If we were using the old calendar, every 128 years the March spring equinox would come a day earlier. This means Easter would be celebrated during mid-winter, depending on what  hemisphere you live in. This is due to the fact that there are not an exact number of days in a  year. The Eastern Orthodox Church uses a different calculation that is based on the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar (which is 13 days ahead of the former). Their calendar celebrates Easter later than that celebrated by Protestants and Roman Catholics. Christian churches in the East, which had stronger old traditions observed [the Resurrection] according to the date  of the Passover festival. Churches of the West however, which were descendants of  Greco-Roman civilization, celebrated their Easter on a Sunday.

Reference
Encarta Encyclopedia:

Before the Gregorian calendar, the Julian calendar was used.  It was conceived by the Romans. It was put into use by Julius Caesar and counted exactly 365.25 days per year over a four-year cycle. Every four years a leap day was put into play to keep things on track. However, there really are 365.24219 days in an astronomical "tropical" year (the time it takes the sun to make one complete circuit of the sky). When the Romans used the Julian calendar, the spring and fall  equinoxes arrived 11 minutes earlier each year. This caused the vernal equinox to fall back to March 11 by 1500. To remedy this "glitch", the pope stated that most of the century years (such as 1700, 1800, and 1900) to not be leap years. Century years divisible by 400, like 2000, would be leap years. Hence, today using the Gregorian calendar, each year is 365.2425 days long. This is close enough so that the equinoxes don't get lost in the season each year. Hence Gregorian  years are now just 27 seconds longer than a tropical year. This represents an error of one day  every approximately 3,200 years. The U.S. Naval Observatory's Chester shows the equinoxes  migrating about six hours later from calendar year to each calendar year, due to this leap year  cycle. It resets each leap year by slipping ever so slightly backwards until a non-leap century  year nudges the equinoxes forward again in time, keeping the Spring equinox around March  21st each year. While this method is not the exact method of determining the astronomical  moon, it is near enough for practical  purposes.

Early History of Determining the Dates of Easter
In 325 AD, the Council of Nice, decreed Easter should be on Sunday. This was left to the bishop  of Alexandria to determine, because the city was the authority in astronomical matters. Dates of  Easter decreed by the bishops during early Easter celebrations still was not satisfactory, with dates ranging from March 21 to as late as April 25. In the 7th century the rule was to celebrate Easter on the Sunday following the 14th day of the calendar moon.  This takes place on, or after, the spring vernal equinox (March 21).  However, yet another difficulty arose when the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582.  There existed a 10 day difference between it and  the Julian calendar. This can cause a difference of as much as five weeks, causing Easter to fall as late as April 30.

The Paschal Controversies
The disputes of the differing dates of Easter was known as the Paschal controversies, which was resolved during  the 8th century. During the 20th century many attempts were made to create a fixed date for Easter, with Sunday following the  second Saturday in April being one proposal. Renewed interest in a fixed date again arose during the early 21st century, which came from discussion involving  leaders of Syriac Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican, Eastern  Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, with no formal agreement ever being reached. Over  time the churches vied for the Sunday celebration, and the Quartodecimans (“14th day” proponents) remained a minority. Over time it became agreed upon to observe Easter the first  Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Hence, today Easter may fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

Final Conclusion and Summary
Easter, its name and traditions, rose from Ishtar who was worshipped as the moon goddess. Ishtar  was the goddess of fertility and spring, the queen of heaven. This identification is known by other names in other cultures. Hence she is commonly referred to  as the goddess of one thousand names. Easter's Origin can be traced back to Babylonian times. The ancient Egyptians learned Easter from the Babylonians.  The Pagans learned Easter from the Egyptians and Christianity learned Easter from the Pagans. Over time, the Roman Catholic Church initiated a practice of incorporating  pagan festivals, that of pasting “Christian” names, over pagan practices and calling them “Christian.” This method was incorporated into church practice to make “Christianity” familiar and more palatable to heathen worshippers, whom the Church was desperately trying to attract, assimilate and eventually convert. The longer days of  light of Spring exert a motivating and stimulating effect.  This creates an inner urge to celebrate the increasing light and its effects this specific time of year. The symbolic reference to the sun's increasing light has remained the same throughout history, only the way of recognizing /  celebrating it has changed. One thing is for sure, all traditions and cultures come together to celebrate this time of year, to celebrate the one  theme, the one true meaning - the returning of life, of good over evil and the return of new growth, light and warmth.
 
The Tao
This articles shows in great depth all the influences exerted by the season of spring. Easter is most interesting because it sets the pace for the rest of the year. What is put into motion during  this season resonates throughout the rest of the year. This may be the premise behind the celebration of Chinese New Year which is held during early spring (February) each year. Today, the term "pagan" has been replaced by "Wiccan". There exists today what's known as the "Table of Correspondences", which is basically a summary of the observations nature exerts at each particular season. The Wiccan table of correspondences is very similar to, and matches the tables / seasons of the Tao. Hence the two disciplines are closely related to one another.

Because Easter has been around since the dawn of organized religion, it may be impossible to verify all these facts with 100% accuracy.  I have done my best in this article to give a general description and outline of where Easter originated from and why we celebrate it today with the references listed below.  Hopefully this will cut through the confusion and mis-conceptions of how Easter originated and why it is such a universal celebration.

Easter Origins References and Citations:
M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas

Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely.
Easton, Matthew George. "Entry for Easter". "Easton's Bible Dictionary". .
Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, & Society of Biblical Literature, Harper’s Bible Dictionary,

Harper & Row, 1985, p. 233
DUCHESNE, Orig. du Culte Chret. (Paris, 1889); KELLNER, Heortologie (Freiburg im Br., 1906);

PROBST, Die ältesten römischen Sacramentarien und Ordines (Munster, 1892); GUERANGER,

Das Kirchenjahr, Ger. tr. (Mainz, 1878), V, 7; 
KRAUS, Real-Encyk.; BERNARD, Cours de Liturgie Romaine; HAMPSON, Calendarium Medii

Ævi (London, 1857); 
Kirchenlex., IX, cols. 1121-41; NILLES, Calendarium utriusque Ecclesiae (Innsbruck, 1897);

MIGNE, La Liturgie 
Catholique (Paris, 1863); BINTERIM, Denkwurdigkeiten (Mainz, 1837); GROTEFEND,

Zeitrechnung (Hanover, 1891-
1898); LERSCH, Einleitung in die Chronologie (Freiburg, 1899); BACH, Die Osterberechnung

(Freiburg, 1907); 
SCHWARTZ, Christliche und judische Ostertafeln (Berlin, 1905); Suntne Latini

Quartodecimani? (Prague, 1906); 
DUCHESNE, La question de la Paque du Concile de Nicee in Revue des quest. histor. (1880), 5

sq.; KRUSCH, 
Studien zur christlish- mittelalterlichen Chronologie (Leipzig, 1880); ROCK, The Church of Our

Fathers (London, 
1905), IV; ALBERS, Festtage des Herrn und seiner Heiligen (Paderborn, 1890).
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'EASTER'". "International Standard Bible

Encyclopedia". 1915. 
APA citation. Holweck, F. (1909). Easter. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert

Appleton Company. 
Retrieved February 22, 2018 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm

MLA citation. Holweck, Frederick. "Easter." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York:

Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 22 Feb. 2018

<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by John Wagner and Michael T.

Barrett.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. John

M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

 
Tao References to Spring and Related Planets / Constellations