Easter, also called Pascha (Davies2014-ei) or Resurrection Sunday (Boda2006-qb), is a significant Christian festival and cultural holiday that honors the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified at Calvary by the Romans around 30 AD, and He rose from the dead on the third day after His burial. Easter marks the conclusion of the Passion of Jesus Christ (Wikipedia_contributors2023-xr, Hillerbrand2023-ng).

What Does The Word "Easter" Come From?

The holiday was originally known in Greek as Πάσχα (Páscha) and in Latin as Pascha. The name Pascha is derived from the Aramaic word פסחא (Pasḥa), meaning "Passover" (Melito_of_Sardis1978-bw). The French word for Easter, "Pâques," comes from the Greek and Latin word for "Passover."

The origin of the English word Easter, similar to the German version Ostern, is unclear.

One theory proposed by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century suggested that it came from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and spring (Stenton1971-su, Cusack2007-qp). This theory implies that Christians adopted pagan holidays and names for their festivals, similar to the suggestion that Christmas on December 25 may have originated from winter solstice celebrations (see Christmas Is Not Pagan). However, given the Christian opposition to paganism, this seems unlikely.

Most scholars now believe that the word Easter comes from the Christian reference to Easter week as "in albis," a Latin phrase interpreted as the plural of "alba" (meaning "dawn") and evolved into "eostarum" in Old High German, which is the predecessor of the modern German and English terms

Expand the table for the different words for Easter in other languages

| Language | Easter | Origin |
| ---------- | ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| English | Easter | Old English "ēastre" |
| Spanish | Pascua | Latin "Pascha" |
| French | Pâques | Latin "Pascha" |
| Italian | Pasqua | Latin "Pascha" |
| Portuguese | Páscoa | Hebrew "Pesach" |
| German | Ostern | Old High German "Ostarun," possibly from Proto-Germanic "*austro" meaning "east" |
| Dutch | Pasen | Latin "Pascha" |
| Swedish | Påsk | Old Norse "paska," possibly from Hebrew "Pesach" |
| Danish | Påske | Old Norse "paska," possibly from Hebrew "Pesach" |
| Norwegian | Påske | Old Norse "paska," possibly from Hebrew "Pesach" |
| Finnish | Pääsiäinen | From Finnish "päästää" meaning "to escape" or "to pass" |
| Estonian | Lihavõtted | Literally means "meat taking" |
| Hungarian | Húsvét | From Old Church Slavonic "xvęt" meaning "flowers" |
| Polish | Wielkanoc | From Old Church Slavonic "velika noć" meaning "great night" |
| Czech | Velikonoce | From Old Church Slavonic "velika noć" meaning "great night" |
| Slovak | Veľká noc | From Old Church Slavonic "velika noć" meaning "great night" |
| Slovenian | Velika noč | From Old Church Slavonic "velika noć" meaning "great night" |
| Latvian | Lieldienas | From Proto-Baltic "liel-" meaning "great" and "diena" meaning "day" |
| Lithuanian | Velykos | From Proto-Balto-Slavic "*wa?k-os" meaning "bright, clear" |
| Russian | Пасха (Paskha) | Greek "Πάσχα" |
| Ukrainian | Великдень (Velykden') | Greek "Πάσχα" |
| Belarusian | Вялікдзень (Vyalikdzen') | Greek "Πάσχα" |
| Bulgarian | Великден (Velikden) | Greek "Πάσχα" |
| Serbian | Васкрс (Vaskrs) | Greek "Πάσχα" |
| Croatian | Uskrs | Greek "Πάσχα" |
| Macedonian | Велигден (Veligden) | Greek "Πάσχα" |

Holiday Traditions

Easter Does Not Share Origins with Pagan Holiday

The ### Debunking the Easter and Ishtar Connection: A Closer Look at the Facts

It is not uncommon for Christians to be accused of incorporating pagan rituals, holidays, and customs into their celebrations. One example of this accusation is the alleged connection between the goddess Ishtar and the Christian holiday of Easter, including the origin of the name and the original focus of the celebration.

Alexander Hislop, a Protestant minister, argued in his 1853 pamphlet The Two Babylons that Roman Catholicism was actually a disguised form of Babylonian paganism. As part of his argument, he mistakenly claimed that the modern English word "Easter" must have originated from "Ishtar" because of the apparent similarity between the two words. However, contemporary scholars have dismissed Hislop's arguments as erroneous, based on a flawed understanding of Babylonian religion (Brown1976-jz). Despite this, Hislop's book continues to be popular among certain evangelical Protestant groups, and its ideas have been widely circulated, especially through the internet (Grabbe1997-ai, DCosta_undated-ow).

Debunking Claims About Ishtar

Her alleged symbols, the bunny and eggs, are not supported by historical evidence
No evidence suggests her celebration was changed to Easter
Her name is not pronounced as "Easter" or "Esther"

The True Identity of Ishtar

Ishtar, also known as Inanna in the Sumerian pantheon, was a Mesopotamian goddess of war and sexual love. Inanna was associated with the storehouse, rain, thunderstorms, and was often depicted with a lion or dove, as well as the symbol of the eight-pointed star. She was a fertility figure, characterized as young, beautiful, and impulsive, and was the bride of the god Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana, who represented the growth and fecundity of the date palm. Ishtar shares similarities with the West Semitic goddess Astarte. Inanna's origins are uncertain, but she may have been associated with the sky god An or the moon god Nanna (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica).

The name "Ishtar" is not pronounced as "Easter." It is a transliteration of the ancient cuneiform name ???? (iš-tar). Although the exact pronunciation of the name in ancient times is unknown, it is believed to have been similar to its current English pronunciation. It would not make sense for scholars to transliterate the name in a way it was not meant to be pronounced (McDaniel2020-ec.

The assertion that the Christian holiday of Easter derives from the worship of the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar is unfounded and reflects a misunderstanding of both linguistic and historical facts. Contemporary scholarship decisively refutes Alexander Hislop's claims, made in the 19th century, which misleadingly connected Roman Catholicism and Babylonian paganism, including the erroneous linkage between "Easter" and "Ishtar." Historical evidence does not support the association of Ishtar with symbols such as the bunny and eggs, nor does it suggest any direct transformation of Ishtar worship into the Christian celebration of Easter. Furthermore, the etymology of "Ishtar" significantly differs from "Easter," debunking the supposed linguistic connection. The perpetuation of Hislop's flawed theories, especially in the digital age, shows the importance of critical examination and scholarly research in debunking myths and clarifying the distinct origins and meanings behind religious observances like Easter.

Easter Bunny and Eggs

Some Christians think that the Easter bunny is from Pagan influence. This belief can be traced back to Deutsche Mythologie by Jacob Grimm in 1835. Grimm suggests that the Christian holiday of Easter may have been influenced by these Pagan festivals, particularly regarding the use of eggs as a symbol of fertility and new life.

Eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries, dating back to 1230 AD, due to their symbolization of new life and seasonal abundance. They were preserved or hardboiled as Easter food and decorated using various techniques such as dyeing and waxing. Different regions had their own Easter egg traditions such as the pace-egging game in northern England and egg-rolling down hillsides.

The Easter Bunny tradition is a recent practice likely due to American influence. One of the earliest references to the Easter bunny comes from Francis X. Weiser in his work "The Easter Book". The animal was originally known as the Easter Hare, since Americans tend to lump hares and rabbits together. Americans soon converted the German Easter Hare into the Easter Rabbit and then to the Easter Bunny (Gulevich2002-lf). German settlers in America kept the tradition alive and popularized it. Easter cakes in the shape of a hare were also made, with the joke being that the hare is shown 'laying' its egg-shaped chocolate droppings (Simpson2000-hn).

There is no evidence that the bunny or the eggs began from Pagan worship or celebration. Eggs and bunnies have been associated with fertility and new life in both Easter and Pagan traditions, but these symbols did not originate from the holidays themselves. This can be seen in the same way gift-giving is a sign of goodwill often used in both Pagan and Christian holidays, but gift-giving did not derive from these particular holidays.

Easter is a Christian holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the New Testament. The holiday is also known as Pascha, which is derived from the Aramaic word for "Passover." The name Easter comes from the Christian reference to Easter week as "in albis," a Latin phrase that evolved into "eostarum" in Old High German and is the predecessor of the modern German and English terms. The origin of the English word Easter is unclear, but it is unlikely that it was adopted from the Pagan goddess Eostre. Easter and it's traditions have always been Christian in nature and history.