Heads are now sunk deep into the thoughts of commemorating the Easter fete. Hotels, bars, and other businesses offering recreational services are reaping from the epitome of what is perceived as a Christian holiday.

Some Kenyans have traveled upcountry to meet their family members. Others are spending their time in churches while a certain section are spending their days normally, with no shade of hype.

It is a period that Christians mostly drawn from the Roman Catholic Church and other evangelical churches have held in day in high regard. Nonetheless, other faithful drawn from the protestant churches such as the Seventh-Day Adventist church have brushed aside, leading to questions lingering over its place and significance. Many could be asking the following questions:

What really happened that led to the Easter holiday commemoration? Does it have scriptural basis, now that Christians are torn along the line of loyalty to the period?

Reasons for celebration

An excerpt published in Catholic Online states that Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is believed to have happened on Sunday. Therefore, the Catholic-affiliated website puts it that Sunday-which falls mostly on first day of April- marks the end of the holy week which is also the end of 40 day lent period always deemed to be a preparation for Easter.

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 According to the publication, Holy Thursday and Good Friday are to be held in reverence as Christians crown it with Easter.
But despite its veneration, there are no connections between the day and the scriptures. The publication supports this by making.

 “In the Gospels, the precise details of the Easter narrative vary slightly, but none of these variances are critical to the main story. In fact, it is argued that the variances are simply matters of style and not substance,” notes Catholic Online.

The biblical obscurity of the day appears more pronounced given the variation put on the dates. The Catholic Online illustrates the flexibility that exists therein.
 “The Easter date is movable and always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Easter in the Roman Catholic Church is always on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.”

Aside from the time of the commemoration, some sources have attempted to unravel the historical facts behind the longest mid-year holiday in the calendar.

The pagan roots

These sources have delved into the background origin of the day, with most indications pointing to ancient pagan traditions once adopted by some Christians.

An extract written by David Pack titled ‘The True Origin of Easter’ published on the Restored Church of God website paints the picture of a day crafted out of ancient pagan doctrines inspired by Babylonian mythologies. The publication notes that the day marked the ‘resurrection’ of a Babylonian god, Tammuz, by his mother goddess Ishtar.

Tammuz is an equivalent of the ‘saviour god’ in Babylonian mythology and the figure has been replicated in certain figures in various cultures such as Horus in Egypt, Apollo in Greece and many others.

“As Ishtar was actually pronounced “Easter” in most Semitic dialects, it could be said that the event portrayed here is, in a sense, Easter,” Pack writes.

Ishtar was a goddess of fertility, who was equally celebrated among the Assyrians and Babylonians. Ishtar was celebrated by eggs and bunny, most of which could be given as gifts during the festive season.

Many other sources have also tied the feast to the Babylonian pagan religious rites where many gods and goddesses were worshiped. Another source known as the Last Trumpet Ministries International echoes this as it writes that the holiday was meant for honouring Tammuz, a god who was viewed as a savior by ancient Babylon.

The pagan rites performed

While many Christians may remain oblivious to the detailed rites associated with this holiday, the religious sources cite a number of rites. Catholic Online notes that such rites vary with cultures. But most common ones include gathering eggs, giving candies, flowers, greeting cards and much more.

These practices seem to be synonymous with pagan rites which were considered ungodly as explained by certain religious analysts.

 “Exchange of eggs is an ancient custom, celebrated by many cultures. In the Old Testament, we see the Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it,” writes Heather McDougall in his article published on the Guardian.com.

While the traces of Easter celebration in the bible remain to be a mystery, there are biblical verses which have mentioned which confirm the existence of Tammuz, his veneration, and rites associated with him.

“Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the LORD’s house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz” the Bible notes in Ezekiel 8:14.

This verse refers to how Isrealites fell for the Egyptian and Babylonian gods only to spur the wrath of their God. These tradition of idolatry has been explained to have penetrated some christian teachings leading to the veneration of pagan feasts; of which Easter is viewed as one of them.