The Dark Side of Easter

Dark Easter Origins 

In the Christian calendar, Easter is the time of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  Christians commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday. It is observed by Christians as a day of penance, grief and fasting. Good Friday also marks the end of the 40-day period of fasting for Christians, called lent. The day before called Maundy Thursday, commemorates Christ washing the feet of his disciples and the last supper. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection. 

  Some people feel the brutality of what Jesus Christ apparently went through makes this holiday dark enough. Others say a holy holiday being eclipsed by old pagan traditions is dark.  However, for non-Christians and those who recognise the pagan origins of this holiday, we may need something more.

  As we can guess if we don't already know, the Christian Easter celebrations take place at this time of the year in an attempt to replace the Pagan celebration, in the same way Christmas takes place during yuletide. While Christmas managed to implant many Christian aspects into a Pagan holiday, Easter didn't do as well. While Christ Mass became Christmas and we have the nativity and religious carols, Easter, arguably a more important Christian celebration, is practically forgotten over Pagan traditions.

  Easter is named after the West Germanic spring goddess Eostre*. While there is little about her, she is believed to be the same as Ishtar. A goddess of fertility and sex. Often the 'rebirth' of spring is used to celebrate these goddesses. Both eggs and bunnies are symbols of fertility and considering spring signifies the end of winter, it makes sense. 

  Eggs are especially popular, chocolate eggs have become a staple of Easter. Even those who do not know its slightly risqué connotation refer to it as a symbol of spring along with chicks, the world is blooming, life is returning. It's all very wholesome. Of course, as with everything, we can all find some darkness to it if we wish.

Too Late To Save Everyone

  The Goddess Ostara came to banish winter and bring warmth and life back to earth, however, she found she had come a little late. She found dead and dying birds with their wings frozen and their beaks cracked. With the weather so cold and the ground so hard some birds had not been able to survive. While she revived and healed the dying birds, the dead ones were beyond help.

Jealousy: The Easter Bunny

  Ostara revived a bird whose wings were too damaged to heal, she turned him into a snow hare. This hare was either her pet or her lover, stories vary. As he started as a bird, the bunny laid colourful eggs once a year. Eventually, their relationship turned sour. As a pet, he was disobedient and mischievous. As a lover he was unfaithful. Ostara put a stop to his behaviour by throwing him into the sky to be imprisoned there forever. After a time her heart softened enough to allow him to return once a year but the rest of the time he is imprisoned in the sky as the constellation Lepus.

Disrespect

  With the days getting longer and the weather getting better, many people bring out or purchase a spring wardrobe. Bright colours, shorter sleeves, pretty dresses. While this may be seen as a somewhat modern tradition, it is actually a custom with a dark origin. As a goddess was coming, we were to greet her in the right way. It would be considered very disrespectful if we greeted spring in anything other than bright colourful clothes. Disrespecting a goddess could lead to crop failure, infertility, poverty and death. Wearing bright clothes was the only way of avoiding such horrible fates.

While there are not a lot of dark elements to Easter, it is a spring celebration, after all, there are a few for us people who like to have a little darkness all year round. The Easter bunny is little like Santa, delivering eggs to children, does he watch them sleeping too? If you can find or know anymore do let me know in the comments, I always like to learn more about dark origins and traditions. In the meantime eat too much chocolate, mourn the loss of winter and always look for a little darkness in this coming of the light.

*Read about Éostre on Wikipedia.