CULTURE // Easter
Easter
Christian Faith & Cultural Tradition
by Morris Donahue - Apr.01.2021
Many of us who grew up in Black communities remember Easter to be a special holiday. A day when the family would get together and share an extraordinary meal that could only be rivaled by Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. A time for coloring eggs, buying candy and chocolate rabbits (bunnies), toys, Easter baskets, and of course, new clothes. Our annual Easter traditions are generationally inclusive of these things, but most are unaware of those traditions’ origin.
The ancient pagan culture honored spring as the time of fruitfulness and a season of “new life” or “new birth. They associated this time with the pagan goddess of spring, Eastre (or Eostre), who is also the goddess of fertility and symbolic of the birth of children, and derived the term “Easter” from her name. The pagan festivals fell around the same time as the Christian celebration of Easter, but the pagans never celebrated it as Christians did.
Many ancient pagan symbols traditionally permeate our present-day celebrations but have nothing to do with the Christian celebration of Easter. For instance, the rabbit (or Easter bunny) symbolizes Eastre’s fertility and her ability to produce rapidly and in abundance in a similar fashion to the animal. The egg (or Easter egg) represents fertility and the renewal of life. Early Christians took these symbols, redefined and grafted them onto their beliefs and traditions basically because they were popular in their time. Though none of these traditions are found in the scriptures, for some, they are still inclusive in the celebration of the most significant event in the Christian faith – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In recent years, some Christians accepted that these pagan and primarily European originated symbols do not belong in the Christian form of the Easter celebration, especially for those of African American descent. Many now refer to Easter as “Resurrection Day” or “Resurrection Sunday” to align the day with the holiday’s true Christian meaning due to religious-enlightenment and cultural awareness. Still, the symbols have remained fixtures out of long-standing tradition, cultural popularity, and, quite frankly, because they are extremely financially profitable.
We must be more conscientious of the distractions that take focus away from that which empowers us, which is, in this case, the resurrection of the son of God for Christians. It is the foundation of the Christian faith and should never diminish because of a bunny, eggs, candy, food, new clothes, or the lack thereof. It’s message should be as powerful on the other 364 days of the year just as it is on Easter itself, and the meaning of the day should outshine any cultural traditions of the holiday.
It is important to have an understanding of the traditions that we continue. We should be careful to know and maintain the intent and meaning of all holidays, especially those that originate in our faith. We should be especially cautious when we combine popular culture with scriptural truths that can become overshadowed and the original meaning is lost completely. When this happens, Christmas becomes more about Santa Claus and shopping, rather than Jesus the Savior, and Easter becomes more about rabbits and eggs than resurrection and eternal life.
The ancient pagan culture honored spring as the time of fruitfulness and a season of “new life” or “new birth. They associated this time with the pagan goddess of spring, Eastre (or Eostre), who is also the goddess of fertility and symbolic of the birth of children, and derived the term “Easter” from her name. The pagan festivals fell around the same time as the Christian celebration of Easter, but the pagans never celebrated it as Christians did.
Many ancient pagan symbols traditionally permeate our present-day celebrations but have nothing to do with the Christian celebration of Easter. For instance, the rabbit (or Easter bunny) symbolizes Eastre’s fertility and her ability to produce rapidly and in abundance in a similar fashion to the animal. The egg (or Easter egg) represents fertility and the renewal of life. Early Christians took these symbols, redefined and grafted them onto their beliefs and traditions basically because they were popular in their time. Though none of these traditions are found in the scriptures, for some, they are still inclusive in the celebration of the most significant event in the Christian faith – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In recent years, some Christians accepted that these pagan and primarily European originated symbols do not belong in the Christian form of the Easter celebration, especially for those of African American descent. Many now refer to Easter as “Resurrection Day” or “Resurrection Sunday” to align the day with the holiday’s true Christian meaning due to religious-enlightenment and cultural awareness. Still, the symbols have remained fixtures out of long-standing tradition, cultural popularity, and, quite frankly, because they are extremely financially profitable.
We must be more conscientious of the distractions that take focus away from that which empowers us, which is, in this case, the resurrection of the son of God for Christians. It is the foundation of the Christian faith and should never diminish because of a bunny, eggs, candy, food, new clothes, or the lack thereof. It’s message should be as powerful on the other 364 days of the year just as it is on Easter itself, and the meaning of the day should outshine any cultural traditions of the holiday.
It is important to have an understanding of the traditions that we continue. We should be careful to know and maintain the intent and meaning of all holidays, especially those that originate in our faith. We should be especially cautious when we combine popular culture with scriptural truths that can become overshadowed and the original meaning is lost completely. When this happens, Christmas becomes more about Santa Claus and shopping, rather than Jesus the Savior, and Easter becomes more about rabbits and eggs than resurrection and eternal life.
