Easter or Resurrection Day

By JQuisumbing

Why do we call the Resurrection ‘Easter’? What does the Bible say about Easter? Why is Easter called Easter and why do we celebrate it?

Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox (aka vernal equinox). The vernal equinox is two moments in the year when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length which usually occurs around about March 20 or 21. Christendom knows of this time as the end of the Holy Week when Christ Jesus rose from the dead, the 3rd day after He was crucified and died on the cross. But during the times of the Old Testament, when Easter came about, the Israelites celebrated the festival of Pesach, better known as the Passover. 

The Passover commemorates the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, when the Lord “smote the land of Egypt” on the eve of the Exodus. [from http://www.britannica.com]

Is it blasphemy to say ‘Happy Easter’, thinking that it may have been a pagan practice?

Remember that Easter was marked by early observers as an annual celestial calendar event. At the time of Creation, God had set this event in the heavens as a sign.

If you worship anyone other than God, then you are blaspheming.

How about the Easter Bunny and hunting Easter eggs?

The Easter Bunny is just a fictional character and should be confined in fantasy. However, the Easter Egg Hunt is an annual teaching opportunity for the kids. You see the Easter egg itself can be a symbol of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus rising from the tomb, represents the guaranteed promise of our own resurrection from the dead, then the egg symbolizes our new life in Christ. This is what should be taught to the kids before they hunt for the eggs.

For myself, I can say HAPPY EASTER but for accuracy sake I prefer to declare…

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!