In 325 CE, the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.
From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox.
Easter is a Pagan festival, it really is as simple as that.
While Pagans are celebrating the Spring Equinox, religious culture celebrates the resurrection.
However, early Christianity accepted ancient pagan practices, most of which most people practice today at Easter.
The death of the son (sun) on a cross (the constellation of the Southern Cross) and his rebirth, overcoming the powers of darkness, was a well worn story in the ancient world.
There were a lot of other resurrected saviours too.
The Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, was hung naked on a stake, and was subsequently resurrected and ascended from the underworld.
One of the oldest resurrection myths is Egyptian Horus. Born on 25 December, Horus and his damaged eye became symbols of life and rebirth.
Mithras was born on what we now call Christmas day, and his followers celebrated the spring equinox.
Even as late as the 4th century AD, the sol invictus, associated with Mithras, was the last great pagan cult the church had to overcome. Dionysus was a divine child, resurrected by his grandmother.
Dionysus also brought his mum, Semele, back to life.
It’s all about the resurrection.
Although we see no celebration of Easter in the New Testament, early church fathers celebrated it, and today many churches are offering "sunrise services" at Easter – an obvious pagan solar celebration.
The date of Easter is not fixed, but instead is governed by the phases of the moon – that’s pretty much Pagan.
And there are all the familiar things about Easter are certainly Pagan.
Bunnies are from the Pagan festival of Eostre, a great northern goddess whose symbol was a rabbit or hare.
Exchange of eggs is an ancient custom, celebrated by many cultures.
Hot cross buns are very ancient too. In the Old Testament we see the Israelites baking sweet buns for an idol, and religious leaders trying to put a stop to it.
The early church clergy also tried to put a stop to sacred cakes being baked at Easter.
In the end, in the face of defiant cake-baking Pagan women, they gave up and blessed the cake instead.
Easter is essentially a pagan festival which is celebrated in churches for totally different reasons than they were originally were honored.
