According to Darren E Sherkat in his book chapter entitled: Religiosity, published in the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2015 -
“Religious traditions are constellations of beliefs, practices, and institutions used to describe a common type of religiosity. Religious traditions are broad understandings of the supernatural produced in societies and practiced by groups and individuals.”
Sherkat (2015) further explains that:
“In the history of religious traditions, most distinctive supernatural explanations have been extirpated as many cultures were destroyed through conquest “ indeed, even in fairly recent history, we have minimal understanding of what the religious traditions were in many societies such as the Indigenous populations of the Americas and Australia, the non-Christian religions in early Europe, or the traditions we now call Hindu. Many traditions are formed by adding to the sacred explanations of an existing tradition.”
Concordantly, Daniel J. Hruschka and Joseph Henrich in their 2015 article titled: “Prosocial Behavior, Cultural Differences in” have enunciated that:
“Many religious traditions emphasize the importance of prosocial behavior, and thus enculturation in specific religions may influence prosocial behavior. Numerous studies in psychology have now shown that ‘priming’ (unconsciously bringing to mind) thoughts of god causes theists, but not atheists, to give more in behavioral games (Norenzayan and Shariff, 2008). One current theory holds that modern world religions, such as Christianity and Islam, were able to spread precisely because they effectively enculturated norms of prosocial behavior which galvanized large-scale cooperation among relatively anonymous strangers (Atran and Henrich, 2010).”
According to the Article titled: What Is the True Meaning of Easter? Why Is it Celebrated? published on CHRISTIANITY.COM by the Editorial Staff and which has been updated on: 27 March, 2024
“For Christians worldwide, the importance of Easter is praising and acknowledging Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and His glorious assurances of eternal life for all who believe in Him. While there are plenty of non-religious traditions, such as the Easter Bunny, baskets of candy, and Easter egg hunts,...”
Bible Verses about Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus
According to Christianity.com (2024), Christians celebrate Easter because this holiday recognizes that they can die to their old way of living and resurrect into their new life with Christ. Christianity does require a death to self. But the resurrection that Christians experience in a spiritual sense and the resurrection of the body they have yet to experience give them ample cause for celebration.
Therefore, Christians believe that it would be integral to their faith that they believe in the Resurrection.
As per Romans: Chapter 8, verse 11 in the King James Version of the Bible:
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” - Romans 8:11
Symbolism of the colour Purple at Easter:
According to Christianity.com (2024):
To understand why the colour purple became the color of Lent and Easter, purple dye was a prized commodity in antiquity because it was difficult to obtain.
In light of how labor-intensive it was to produce purple dye, purple apparel was only worn by kings, other royal members, or those with high-ranking authority.
The Roman soldiers who tortured Jesus during His Passion would’ve been well aware of the imperial symbolism behind the color purple. This is why, in mocking Jesus before His crucifixion, the soldiers dressed Jesus in a purple robe and put a crown of thorns on His head, proceeding to beat Him and yell, “Hail, king of the Jews!” (John 19:2-3).
In remembrance of the purple robe the Roman soldiers put on Jesus in mockery, churches display the color purple during Lent to mourn the emotional and physical anguish that Jesus underwent during His Passion and in some churches, the clergy wear purple vestments, drape lecterns with purple cloths, and cover the front of altars with purple frontals. (Christianity.com, 2024)
Pagan Origins of ‘Easter’:
Christianity.com (2024) enumerates:
The celebration of Easter does have some connections to pre-Christian, pagan traditions, particularly in the symbolism associated with spring and fertility. The timing of Easter, for example, coincides with the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Many ancient cultures celebrated the arrival of spring as a time of renewal, growth, and fertility.
One notable pagan festival that shares some similarities with Easter is the festival of Eostre or Ostara. Eostre was a pagan goddess associated with spring and fertility, and her festival was celebrated around the vernal equinox. Some scholars suggest that the name “Easter” may have been derived from Eostre.
Additionally, certain symbols and customs associated with Easter, such as eggs and rabbits, have roots in pagan traditions.
Easter Bunny’s Connection to Christianity:
Christianity.com (2024), has recounted:
The origin of the Easter Bunny dates back to the 13th century in Germany. The Germanic folk, known as the Teutons, worshiped pagan gods and goddesses. One such goddess was Eostra. She was revered as the goddess of fertility and spring. The word “Easter” finds its etymology from the goddess’s name.
Due to its prolific breeding tendencies, the rabbit became a symbol for Eostra. In AD 595, Pope Gregory sent Roman monks to convert the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons, like German forefathers, celebrated Eostra. When converted, they accepted the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection at Easter while still continuing the celebration of spring renewal and the rabbit’s symbolism.
The calendar of Pagan festivals:
The History TV Channel (accessed on 28 March 2024) elucidates that: “the date of Easter changes every year and this is because it is governed by the phases of the moon and not a specific date on which Christ was said to have risen from the dead. It falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox making it a celebration of the seasons, a concept rooted in paganism.”
Why do we eat hot cross buns on Good Friday?
The History TV Channel (2024) further observes that: “The hot cross bun, that delicious Easter staple, whose name and cross are said to symbolise the crucifixion of Jesus, is also believed to have pagan origins. A part of the pagan celebrations of Eostre, buns marked with a cross would be baked across pre-Christian Europe to celebrate the springtime goddess. The symbolism of the cross on the bun was said to represent the four seasons as well as the four primary phases of the moon. The bun was absorbed by Christianity and the meaning of its cross was adapted.”
In summing up:
Hence, it would become clear to observe that many of the Easter traditions do not have their roots in the Christian faith. Whilst many people today do mark the occasion by celebrating the resurrection of Christ, many others see Easter as a time to rejoice at the coming of spring - to celebrate with Easter bunnies, egg hunts and hot cross buns and embody the same spirit of hope, renewal and new life that has existed around this time of year for thousands of years.
