Let's see.... the word Easter comes from...
(Is there a etymology dictionary around the web?... yes there is => http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term...in_frame=0)
But let's look at the wiki article which says the same as the etymology dictionary:
Ēostre
From this goddess, you also get other cool words like
Estrus
The symbols of Easter are rabbits, known for having large litters.... and eggs, known for being the origin of some life-forms.
On the other hand, there are countries, where Easter is called something very different:
spanish: Pascua
French: Pâques
Portuguese: Páscoa
Italian: Pasqua
Which comes from the latin "Pascha", or greek "Πάσχα", or Hebrew (?) פֶּסַח .... a wonderful thing, the wiki is...
And, of course, these names are imbued with christian meaning, having nothing to do with the spring ritual of fertility.
I salute whoever had the idea of superimposing the two celebrations in such a way that one would, eventually, win over the other, in meaning to the populace.
The same goes for christmas.
(Is there a etymology dictionary around the web?... yes there is => http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term...in_frame=0)
But let's look at the wiki article which says the same as the etymology dictionary:
Ēostre
Quote:Ēostre or Ostara is a goddess in Germanic paganism who, by way of the Germanic month bearing her name, is the namesake of the festival of Easter. Ēostre is attested solely by Bede in his 8th-century work De temporum ratione, where Bede states that during Ēosturmōnaþ (the equivalent to the month of April) feasts were held in Eostre's honor among the pagan Anglo-Saxons, but had died out by the time of his writing, replaced by the Christian "Paschal month" (a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus). In her various forms, she is a "Spring-like fertility goddess" associated with dawn, and is connected to numerous traditions and deities indigenous to Northern Europe.
From this goddess, you also get other cool words like
Estrus
Quote:oestrus , estrus or estrum (ˈiːstrəs, ˈɛstrəs, ˈiːstrəm, ˈɛstrəm)
— n
a regularly occurring period of sexual receptivity in most female mammals, except humans, during which ovulation occurs and copulation can take place; heat
The symbols of Easter are rabbits, known for having large litters.... and eggs, known for being the origin of some life-forms.
On the other hand, there are countries, where Easter is called something very different:
spanish: Pascua
French: Pâques
Portuguese: Páscoa
Italian: Pasqua
Which comes from the latin "Pascha", or greek "Πάσχα", or Hebrew (?) פֶּסַח .... a wonderful thing, the wiki is...
And, of course, these names are imbued with christian meaning, having nothing to do with the spring ritual of fertility.
I salute whoever had the idea of superimposing the two celebrations in such a way that one would, eventually, win over the other, in meaning to the populace.
The same goes for christmas.
