What was easter originally

After the six months are up, Tammuz returns to the underworld of the dead, remaining there for another six months, and Ishtar pursues him, prompting the water god to rescue them both. Thus, were the cycles of winter death and spring life. Commentators have cited numerous reasons why cultures have chosen to celebrate Easter in some form. Popular themes have included:. Often, these themes are regarded as part of recurring cycles, like the seasons.

Every spring, the world comes back to life. Flowers emerge. Birdsong fills the air. Animals give birth to their young. Death always leads to new life. Some elements, such as the three-day timeline and the hero going to Hell, are also scattered among the myths. On Easter Sunday, the Easter bunny will deliver chocolate eggs to children and there will be egg hunts in backyards and parks across Australia.

Christian Australians will attend church services and the majority of secular Australians will enjoy the four-day weekend feasting and relaxing with family and friends.

All the while, the chocolate bunnies and eggs serve as a reminder of Easter's ancient origins and Christian traditions. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Have you ever wondered how this seemingly bizarre tradition came to be? Posted 14 Apr 14 Apr Fri 14 Apr at pm. More on:. NZ vaccine mandates kick in, but they're the 'trojan horse' of the far-right movement.

Here are some more. Queen Elizabeth sprains her back and misses Remembrance Sunday service. The date of Easter, when the resurrection of Jesus is said to have taken place, changes from year to year. The reason for this variation is that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. I am a religious studies scholar specializing in early Christianity, and my research shows that this dating of Easter goes back to the complicated origins of this holiday and how it has evolved over the centuries.

Easter is quite similar to other major holidays like Christmas and Halloween, which have evolved over the last years or so. In all of these holidays, Christian and non-Christian pagan elements have continued to blend together. Most major holidays have some connection to the changing of seasons. This is especially obvious in the case of Christmas. The New Testament gives no information about what time of year Jesus was born. Similar was the case with Easter, which falls in close proximity to another key point in the solar year: the vernal equinox around March 20 , when there are equal periods of light and darkness.

For those in northern latitudes, the coming of spring is often met with excitement, as it means an end to the cold days of winter. Passover was celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal spring equinox, therefore on the 14th day of the seventh Hebrew month of Nisan.

The Christian calendar was also constructed around Passover, as Jesus, its own Messiah, similarly freed humanity from bondage, sin and evil. Listen to historian and author Tom Holland discuss the history of Christianity — he argues that it has had a transformative and enduring impact on the western mindset:.

The synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke actually present the Last Supper as a Passover Seder Jewish ceremonial meal , though some items appear missing. Easter is held on the Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon which keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical Moon following the vernal spring equinox on or around 21 March of the northern hemisphere, when the sun is exactly above the equator, and day and night are of almost equal length.

Historian and author Tom Holland investigates on this podcast:. As Jesus was crucified during the Passover festival and resurrected thereafter, it was logical to commemorate these events in close proximity. But when, exactly? In CE, Emperor Constantine, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity , decided to take charge of the matter. Constantine thus ordained that Easter was to fall in close proximity to a similar significant time in the solar year: the Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox.

So, did the issues surrounding the calculation of the Easter date end with the Nicaea decree?