The equinox occurs each year on March 20, 21 or 22. Both Neopagans and Christians continue to celebration religious rituals in the present day. Wiccans and other Neopagans usually hold their celebrations on the day or eve of the equinox. Christians wait until after the next full moon.

The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe.

Similar "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [were] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." 5 Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were:

• Aphrodite from Cyprus
• Astarte, from Phoenicia
• Demeter, from Mycenae
• Hathor from Egypt
• Ishtar from Assyria
• Kali, from India
• Ostara, a Norse Goddess of fertility.

Sunday is named after a Pagan sun god, Solis.

Pagan origins of Easter:

Many, perhaps most, Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration at or following the Spring Equinox. Cybele, the Phrygian fertility goddess, had a fictional consort who was believed to have been born via a virgin birth. He was Attis, who was believed to have died and been resurrected each year during the period MAR-22 to MAR-25. "About 200 B.C. mystery cults began to appear in Rome just as they had earlier in Greece. Most notable was the Cybele cult centered on Vatican hill ...Associated with the Cybele cult was that of her lover, Attis ([the older Tammuz, Osiris, Dionysus, or Orpheus under a new name). He was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. Born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. The festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection."

Wherever Christian worship of Jesus and Pagan worship of Attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, Christians "used to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the same date; and pagans and Christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation."

Many religious historians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with Attis, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. They were simply grafted onto stories of Jesus' life in order to make Christian theology more acceptable to Pagans. Ancient Christians had an alternate explanation; they claimed that Satan had created counterfeit deities in advance of the coming of Christ in order to confuse humanity. 11 Modern-day Christians generally regard the Attis legend as being a Pagan myth of little value. They regard Jesus' death and resurrection account as being true, and unrelated to the earlier tradition.

Wiccans and other modern-day Neopagans continue to celebrate the Spring Equinox as one of their 8 yearly Sabbats (holy days of celebration). Near the Mediterranean, this is a time of sprouting of the summer's crop; farther north, it is the time for seeding. Their rituals at the Spring Equinox are related primarily to the fertility of the crops and to the balance of the day and night times. Where Wiccans can safely celebrate the Sabbat out of doors without threat of religious persecution, they often incorporate a bonfire into their rituals, jumping over the dying embers is believed to assure fertility of people and crops.

Judeo-Christian origins of Easter:

The Christian celebration of Easter is linked to the Jewish celebration of the Passover. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were observed by the ancient Israelites early in each new year. (The Jewish people followed the Persian/Babylonian calendar and started each year with the Spring Equinox circa MAR-21) "Equinox" means "equal night;" on that date of the year, the night and day are approximately equal. The name "Passover" was derived from the actions of the angel of death as described in the book of Exodus. The angel "passed over" the homes of the Jews which were marked with the blood obtained from a ritual animal sacrifice. The same angel exterminated the first born son of every family whose doorway was not so marked - one of the greatest acts of mass-murder mentioned in the Bible.

• Liberal theologians trace Passover to an ancient pre-Israelite Pagan ritual practiced by wandering Semitic shepherds. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was originally a traditional Canaanite agricultural harvest which was adopted by the Israelites. It marked the start of the barley harvest; barley was the first crop to ripen. Because they occurred at about the same time each year, the two celebrations became merged into a two day observance. The Passover became associated with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
• Conservative theologians generally believe that these observances were originally created by God as described in Leviticus 23:5-14, and recorded by Moses.

• 30-APR-5 CE, a Wednesday
• 30-APR-6 CE, a Thursday
• 30-APR-7 CE, a Friday; this is perhaps the most common date
• 31-APR-26 CE, a Thursday
• 32-APR-10 CE, a Thursday
• 33-APR-3 CE, a Friday.

Until the 4th century CE, Easter and Pentecost were the only two holy days that Christians observed. Easter Sunday was the main day of celebration, formally recognized by the Council of Nicea in 325 CE. Pentecost Sunday was also observed as a less important holy day, 7 weeks/49 days after Easter. Other occasions related to Jesus' execution were gradually added to the church calendar:

• Lent: This was a period of spiritual preparation for Easter which typically involves fasting, penance and prayer. It was originally established by various Christian groups as an interval ranging from a few days to several weeks. It was eventually fixed in the 8th century CE at 40 days. (The number 40 is one of many magical numbers with religious significance in the Bible. 40 days recalls the interval that Jesus, Moses and Elias spent in the desert. Other magical numbers were 3, 7, 12, and 70). Among Roman Catholics, Lent lasts for six and a half weeks before Easter, excluding Sundays. Among the Eastern Orthodox churches, it is a full eight weeks, because Saturdays and Sundays are not included.
• Ash Wednesday: This is held on the first day of Lent, a Wednesday. "Wednesday" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Wodnes Daeg"; Woden was the Saxon God of war and victory.
  Holy Week: the week before Easter Sunday:
  • Palm Sunday: This is held on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It recalls Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem one week before his execution.
  • Holy Monday commemorates Jesus' cleansing of the temple, when he assaulted money changers and overturned their tables. Some believe that this triggered his arrest and crucifixion.
  • Holy Tuesday recalls Jesus' description to his disciples on the Mount of Olives of the destruction of Jerusalem.
  • Holy Wednesday (once called Spy Wednesday) recalls Judas' decision to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
  • Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, Jesus agony in the garden and his arrest. "Maundy" is derived from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment of God in John 13:34-35) For centuries, people in authority have washed the feet of their followers on this day.
  • Good Friday recalls Jesus' death on the cross. The origin of the word "good" has been lost. Some claim that it is a corruption of "God" and that the early Christians called this day "God's Friday." Others claim that "good" refers to the blessings of humanity that Christians believe arose as a result of Jesus' execution.
  • Holy Saturday (a.k.a. Easter Eve) is the final day of Holy Week and of Lent.
  • Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus' resurrection. In the early church, converts were baptized into church membership on this day after a lengthy period of instruction. This tradition continues today in some churches.
  Feast of the Ascension (a.k.a Ascension Day) is a celebration of Jesus' ascension up to heaven. This is described in:
  • the gospel of John as happening immediately after Jesus' resurrection
  • the gospel of Luke at an undefined number of days after the resurrection
  • the book of Acts at 40 days after the resurrection.
  The church has accepted the account in Acts; the feast is celebrated on a Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday. Although tradition states that it was first celebrated in 68 CE, it did not become formally recognized by the church until the late 3rd century.

  Pentecost (a.k.a. Whit Sunday) is now celebrated 7 weeks/49 days after Easter Sunday. It recalls the visitation of the Holy Spirit to 120 Christians, both apostles and followers. They spoke in tongues (in foreign languages that they had not previously known) to the assembled crowd. Three thousand were baptized. The day was originally a Jewish festival which was called "Pentecost," because it was observed 50 days after Passover. (The Greek word for 50'th day is "pentecoste.") This is usually regarded as the date of the birth of the Christian church. The feast was mentioned in a 2nd century book, and was formally recognized in the 3rd century CE.

Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after MAR-20, the nominal date of the Spring Equinox. Many sources incorrectly state that the starting date of the calculation is the actual day of the Equinox rather than the nominal date of Mar-20. Other sources use an incorrect reference date of MAR-21.

Easter Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25th. The year-to-year sequence is so complicated that it takes 5.7 million years to repeat. Eastern Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate Easter on the same day as the rest of Christendom. However if that date does not follow Passover, then the Orthodox churches delay their Easter - sometimes by over a month.

• Hot Cross Buns: At the feast of Eostre, the Saxon fertility Goddess, an ox was sacrificed. The ox's horns became a symbol for the feast. They were carved into the ritual bread. Thus originated "hot cross buns". The word "buns" is derived from the Saxon word "boun" which means "sacred ox." Later, the symbol of a symmetrical cross was used to decorate the buns; the cross represented the moon, the heavenly body associated with the Goddess, and its four quarters.
• Easter Rabbit and Eggs: The symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg. Both represented fertility. From these, we have inherited the customs and symbols of the Easter egg and Easter rabbit. Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of the Babylonian mystery religions. Eggs "were sacred to many ancient civilizations and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was regarded as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the great Egyptian god." 3
• Easter Lilies: "The so-called 'Easter lily' has long been revered by pagans of various lands as a holy symbol associated with the reproductive organs. It was considered a phallic symbol!" 6
• Easter Sunrise Service: This custom can be traced back to the ancient Pagan custom of welcoming the sun God at the vernal equinox - when daytime is about to exceed the length of the nighttime. It was a time to "celebrate the return of life and reproduction to animal and plant life as well." 4 Worship of the Sun God at sunrise may be the religious ritual condemned by Jehovah as recorded in:
  Ezekiel 8:16-18: "...behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen (this), O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." (ASV)
• Easter Candles: These are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter Sunday. Some commentators believe that these can be directly linked to the Pagan customs of lighting bonfires at this time of year to welcome the rebirth/resurrection of the sun God.

EASTER RECIPIES

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups corn oil
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple in natural syrup
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and brown sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, sift the baking soda, cinnamon, salt and flour, then gradually add it to the egg mixture; do not over mix. Add the pineapple and syrup, coconut, walnuts and carrots, and beat well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Serves 12 to 14.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 1/2 to 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Green food coloring

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

CREAMY VANILLA FROSTING:

In medium bowl, beat 1/3 cup softened butter or margarine. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; beat well. Add 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar alternately with 1/4 cup milk, beating to spreading consistency. About 2 cups frosting.

* NOTE: To tint coconut, combine several drops desired color food color with 3/4 teaspoon water; add to 1-1/2 cups coconut. Stir until evenly tinted.

BRAIDED EASTER BREAD

Serving this classic bread on Easter is a wonderful way to start an annual tradition.

2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
6 soft-boiled, dyed eggs (nontoxic dyes only)
1 egg
1 tsp. water

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk and heat until just warm. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the yeast. Add the sugar, eggs and salt, and stir well. Mix in the flour, one cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, adding flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. Knead until it becomes elastic. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Punch down the dough. Divide it into three equal parts and roll each piece into a 20-inch-long strand. Lay the strands side by side and gently braid them. (To avoid tearing the dough, braid from the middle out to an end; repeat with the other side.) Place the woven dough in a wreath shape on a greased cookie sheet, tucking the ends under. Sink the eggs into the dough. Cover and let rise until double in size. Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush the wash over the dough. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

HARELESS POTPIES ~A favorite of the Easter Bunny.

PIECRUST

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup frozen sweet butter, cut in small chunks
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
7 to 8 tbsp. ice water

FILLING

2 medium onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen baby peas
2 1/2 cups carrots, peeled, chopped and cooked (about 4 carrots)
2 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked
4 cups diced cooked chicken, turkey or ham
5 tbsp. sweet butter
5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups chicken, vegetable or turkey stock
1/2 tsp. pepper
Salt to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten

TO MAKE THE PIECRUST:

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the flour, salt, butter and vegetable shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle with the ice water and pulse until the dough starts to come together, being careful not to let the dough form a ball. Remove the dough and press it into two disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

In a large saucepan, sauté the onions and celery in the olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add all the vegetables, and the chicken, turkey or ham, and set aside.

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock until the sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pepper and salt. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Then pour the mixture into 10 individual ovenproof bowls or two 9-inch pie pans. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the piecrust on a lightly floured surface. Cover the 10 (or two) pies with the dough. Use a cookie cutter to cut bunnies out of scraps of piecrust. Lightly brush the egg onto the piecrusts and place a bunny on top. Bake for 20 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the filling bubbles. It's a good idea to place a cookie sheet below the pies to catch any drips. Makes 10 to 12 servings.