SIM TOPAS UNVAILS THE PAGAN ORIGINS OF EASTER
- 19 days ago
THE PAGAN ORIGINS OF EASTER
While Christmas was a celebration of the winter solstice, Easter was a celebration of the spring equinox for the pagans. Pagans lived their lives in strong accordance with nature’s rhythms and patterns, and solstices and equinoxes were considered to be sacred times. A solstice marks the longest or shortest day of the year, while an equinox symbolises the day when there is balance between daylight and darkness. This shows the end of one season and the beginning of another. In the northern hemisphere, Easter falls on the spring equinox, when winter is coming to an end and nature is experiencing a rebirth and renewal. This is naturally a cause for festivities and celebrations, as the darkness comes to an end and plants and leaves start to regrow after the cold winter.
HOW EASTER WAS ADOPTED INTO CHRISTIANITY
Around mid-300AD, Christianity was increasing in popularity in Rome, then the centre of the world. In 312, the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and put an end to the ongoing persecution of Christians. However, he knew that just because he had converted, it didn’t mean that pagans would stop following their rituals and traditions. So he slowly started to adopt existing pagan rituals into Christian festivities. In 325 AD, the church council – known as the Council of Nicaea – first decided that Easter’s celebration should fall on the Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox. And thus Easter Sunday was born, and symbols associated with nature’s rebirth and renewal came to be associated with the rebirth or resurrection of Christ.
While Christmas was a celebration of the winter solstice, Easter was a celebration of the spring equinox for the pagans. Pagans lived their lives in strong accordance with nature’s rhythms and patterns, and solstices and equinoxes were considered to be sacred times. A solstice marks the longest or shortest day of the year, while an equinox symbolises the day when there is balance between daylight and darkness. This shows the end of one season and the beginning of another. In the northern hemisphere, Easter falls on the spring equinox, when winter is coming to an end and nature is experiencing a rebirth and renewal. This is naturally a cause for festivities and celebrations, as the darkness comes to an end and plants and leaves start to regrow after the cold winter.
HOW EASTER WAS ADOPTED INTO CHRISTIANITY
Around mid-300AD, Christianity was increasing in popularity in Rome, then the centre of the world. In 312, the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and put an end to the ongoing persecution of Christians. However, he knew that just because he had converted, it didn’t mean that pagans would stop following their rituals and traditions. So he slowly started to adopt existing pagan rituals into Christian festivities. In 325 AD, the church council – known as the Council of Nicaea – first decided that Easter’s celebration should fall on the Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox. And thus Easter Sunday was born, and symbols associated with nature’s rebirth and renewal came to be associated with the rebirth or resurrection of Christ.