Happy Easter

Amp Mad Scientist said:
Easter most likely takes its name from the names of goddesses associated with spring, vernal equinox and renewal. Eostre was the Saxon mother goddess, the source of all things and the bringer of new life. Around the same time, Teutonic tribes worshiped the dawn goddess Ostara, who also represented fertility and rebirth.
Today’s Easter is a mix of symbols from Christianity and traditions far older. Alongside the overtly religious celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection, people of all ages and beliefs enjoy colored eggs, egg hunts, candy rabbits, and chickens. Also, the Easter baskets filled with gifts, candies, and springtime colors are an important part of today’s celebration.

All of these Easter favorites clearly echo pagan beliefs. Many of those beliefs were very much in tune with nature – animal births, seasons, and cycles of the moon and sun. The rabbit, a symbol of fertility and agility, was sacred to Ostara. Eggs, chicks, green grass, and sweets speak to the ancient celebration of new life and rebirth during warm spring days. Many ancient pagan cultures exchanged eggs as a celebration of the changing season into spring and the blessing of fertility.
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I believe the rabbit might only have become an Easter symbol in medieval times. If a predator threatens a family of wild hares, often an adult will feign injury and limp off to draw the danger away, sacrificing itself for the others. I was told that, not their famous fertility, is the tie-in to Christianity.

Not disputing that nearly all the major Christian holidays and symbols have roots in older cultures and religions, clearly this is so.
Christmas itself was rescheduled to coincide with solstice celebrations and Rome's days of Saturnalia.

The actual birthday likely was in the Spring - shepherds already had their flocks out in the fields grazing. Roman census wasn't taken in Winter either; tallies never began until roads in the Northern regions of the Empire were passable. Again, that would be Springtime.
 
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