Easter traditions have deep pagan roots that can be traced all the way back to the worship of Asherah in the Old Testament. You may remember Gideon tearing down the Asherah poles in Judges? Well, it is the same goddess [Ēostre] who can be traced with different names throughout history who eventually gives name to the holiday we call Easter.
The title "queen of heaven" was given to many different goddesses throughout history, going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. Some of the pagan goddesses who were given the title "queen of heaven" are Anat, Isis, Innana, Astarte, Ashtaroth (or Asherah), Ishtar, Frigg, Hera, Juno, Aphrodite, Ēostre (also Ēastre where the name Easter originates), and even Mary (mother of Jesus) bore the title in the Catholic church.
The "queen of heaven", whose worship Jeremiah so vehemently opposed is assumed by historians to be Astarte (or Ashtaroth). Astarte was connected with fertility, sexuality, and war.
"The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger." (Jeremiah 7:18)
The goddess Ishtar has a death and resurrection myth associated with her worship, as do other pagan gods and goddesses throughout history.
The ancient druids bore an egg, as the sacred emblem of their order. In the Dionysiaca, or mysteries of Bacchus, as celebrated in Athens, one part of the nocturnal ceremony consisted in the consecration of an egg. From Egypt these sacred eggs can be distinctly traced to the banks of the Euphrates. The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians.
"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—that is, Astarte. Hence the egg became one of the symbols of Astarte or Easter; and accordingly, in Cyprus, one of the chosen seats of the worship of Venus, or Astarte, the egg of wondrous size was represented on a grand scale." (The Two Babylons, pp. 108-109)
Easter is NOT a Biblical celebration, but Passover is one of the most important Biblical celebrations. Christians in the early Church celebrated passover, which is one of the 7 Festivals of the LORD, given by God himself in the Old Testament to be celebrated for all time by His followers as an act of worship. Passover celebrates both God's deliverance from Egypt through Moses, and God's deliverance from sin through Jesus Christ.
The fact is, Easter was not celebrated by Christians until after Constantine merged Christianity with the other pagan religions of the time (300 years after Yeshua resurrected). When this merging of religions occurred, Christians tried to "redeem" the pagan holiday by associating it with Christ, since Easter and Passover usually occur around the same time of year. (Lent, by the way, also has deep pagan roots in connection to mourning for Tammuz)
But we are told in the Bible by God that we are not to worship God with the traditions that pagans use. We are not to have anything to do with pagan worship or practices.
"Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you" (Deuteronomy 6:14)
Be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. (Deuteronomy 12:30-31)
"Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them..." (Jeremiah 25:6)
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
It is interesting to note that many of the Protestant Reformation leaders strongly opposed both Christmas and Easter, claiming that they were irredeemably pagan. As you know, the Protestant reformation was when Protestant churches began to form, breaking away from the Catholic church because of it's idolatry and paganism.
May Christians today celebrate Easter innocently, assuming it is of Christian origins, not realizing its deep pagan history. I believe that if Christians knew how pagan this holiday is, they would reject it in the same way the Puritans and early Protestants rejected it. We need to unlearn this Pagan holiday.
We have been deceived, and the truth has been hidden from us regarding this tradition. Once I found out the truth about the pagan history of Easter, I prayed and repented for the sin of participating in its celebration. Knowing that we are not to worship God in the same manner that the pagans worship their gods.
Don't just take my word for it, "study to show yourself approved". Research it, the facts can be traced throughout history. Study history, especially the history of pagan religions surrounding Easter, and study the "Festivals of the LORD" (Leviticus 11), that were given by God for us to celebrate. They are prophetic and eye opening.
Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread “are the LORD’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times." (Leviticus 23:4)
In summary, we will no longer be celebrating "Easter" in our home, but instead, we will celebrate Passover, the true celebration of Christ. This is the Biblical celebration that was given to us by God, and celebrated by Jesus himself and the New Testament Church.
Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14-15)
Easter
I find it very interesting that many Christians prefer to celebrate a pagan festival instead of a Biblical, God given one.
Jesus and all of his disciples celebrated passover, as did all Christians for the first 300 years. This was the major Christian celebration until Emperor Constantine, pontifex maximus (head of the Pagan priesthood), changed it. It was enforced by the Empire that all Christians must stop celebrating passover and start celebrating the pagan holiday of Easter instead. Eventually the celebration of passover became a crime punishable by death.
We can assume that if Constantine hadn't interfered, all Christians would still be celebrating passover, and no one would even know what Easter was.
Easter, a celebration of the "mother goddess" (Ēostre), has a long history of Paganism dating back to Babylonian times. Easter was reluctantly celebrated by Christians as a result of Emperor Constantine merging Christianity with the Pagan worship of Sol Invictus (the sun god).
Ēostre, known as the "mother goddess", "queen of heaven", and the "fertility goddess" has been known by many names throughout history. In the Bible she is known as "Asherah", and we are warned against worshipping her or partaking in any celebrations or practices connected to her.
Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. (Deut. 12:3-4)
- The Greeks worshipped her as "Astarte" or "Aphrodite".
- The Romans worshipped her as "Venus".
- The Assyrians and Babylonians worshipped her as "Ishtar".
- The Sumerians worshipped her as "Inanna".
- The Hindu people worship her as "Kali".
- Wiccans and Egyptians worship her as "Isis"
"Ostara" (Easter) is one of the MAJOR WICCAN HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS. It is known as a "Witches' Sabbat" (The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a meeting of those who practice witchcraft, and other rites). This holiday is still practiced by Wiccans and Pagans today.
The common symbol used to represent this mother goddess is the pentagram (a star inside a circle). This is the same symbol that both Wiccans and Satanists use as well.
Her cult was known for fertility, prostitution, sex, orgies, etc. The tradition of decorating eggs also finds its roots in this pagan cult, as do the association with rabbits or bunnies. Bunnies have obvious connections to fertility cults because of their reputation for multiplication. They "do it like rabbits". The Easter egg comes from the mythology surrounding the birth of Ishtar, who was supposedly hatched from an egg as a form of "immaculate conception" (more like "maculate deception" in my opinion).
After knowing all of this, why in the world would anyone who claims to be a Christian want to continue to participate in a celebration that has such deep Pagan, Wiccan, Satanist, and sexual roots? ESPECIALLY WHEN GOD HAS GIVEN US PASSOVER!
After breaking away from the Catholic church, many leaders in the Protestant Reformation rejected Easter as Pagan, but in the end, tradition won out over Scripture, and the majority of Christian denominations continued celebrating Easter. There are, however, a number of Christian believers who celebrate Passover instead.
Passover
There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The first Christians continued to observe the Biblical festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of the events those festivals had foreshadowed. Passover was once associated with the deliverance from bondage in Egypt and the Covenant that God made with the people leaving Egypt, now is associated with the deliverance that the Messiah brings, and the New Covenant in His blood.
For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast,the bread of sincerity and truth. (1Cor. 5:7-8)
The Passover was instituted by God when he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites... Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God... for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices... Do not make cast idols. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover). For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. (Exodus 34:11-18)
Isn't it ironic that we would try to celebrate Jesus (the true Passover lamb) on a day that was used to celebrate Pagan gods? Passover is a celebration of our being set free from Paganism, bondage, and sin. Easter is a Pagan celebration of sin and bondage.
One of the main reasons for killing the Egyptians' firstborn children and animals was God's judgment against the gods of the Egyptians.
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry… Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? (Passover Reference - Wine and Bread) … but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. (1Cor. 10:14-21)
- Passover was prophetic about Yeshua before he was born.
- Yeshua is our passover lamb.
- Yeshua is the bread without yeast.
- Yeshua releases us from our captivity.
- Yeshua is the fulfillment of Passover.
- Yeshua was sacrificed on Passover.
- Yeshua celebrated Passover.
- Yeshua taught his disciples to celebrate Passover.
- Passover is and has always been the celebration of the Messiah, Yeshua.
Celebrating Passover is the most "Christian" thing we can do, as Passover is the celebration of the New Covenant, given to us by the Messiah. "Do this [Passover] in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19)