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The true origins of Easter and why Christians are still divided over a key question
2026-04-05 10:00:35 / JETË
Does Easter really originate from a forgotten Germanic goddess? What is behind the Ostara myth, and why are Christians still divided over a key question?
Did you know that the church has spent centuries debating the question of what the true story of Easter is?
Long before Christianity, people across Europe celebrated the arrival of spring. These festivals, tied to the March equinox, marked the end of winter and the return of life.
There are many stories about the Germanic festival of Ostara, the goddess of spring, who was at the center of the celebrations and was accompanied by wild animals.
Her legend became famous in Germany in the 19th century, through Jacob Grimm's mythological collection. The Nazis strongly promoted her as a figure of German identity.
However, modern research suggests that the legend was invented at that time, was never pagan, and that the goddess may never have existed.
Rather, it is said that the English name for the festival derives from the Latin "albis", later "eostarum" meaning "dawn".
With the spread of Christianity, the Resurrection of Jesus became linked to old pagan spring traditions. But there was a problem: the proposed date of the Crucifixion did not coincide with the spring equinox. Thus began the debate.
The Western Roman Church said that Easter should always fall on a Sunday. The Eastern Church linked the Crucifixion directly to Easter.
This dispute lasted for centuries until the Council of Nicaea, convened in 325, decided: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full Monday following the spring equinox.
People continued to debate the exact date long after this theory was accepted. This is why many European names for Easter are derived from the Hebrew word "Pesach", which through Latin spread to other languages such as the Spanish "Pascua", the Danish "Påske" or the Albanian "Pashkë".
Spring is the season of fertility, and the rabbit is its symbol. While chickens have a natural cycle when they lay eggs, which peaks in the spring./ DW
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