Question 1

Why does the date of Easter change every year?

Accepted Answer

Easter is a "moveable feast" because its date is determined by a 1,700-year-old mathematical system called the Computus. To set the date, the church must align three different factors: it must fall on a Sunday, it must relate to the spring equinox, and it must follow the lunar cycle to stay connected to the timing of the Jewish Passover. Specifically, Easter is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after March 21st. Because the lunar calendar and the solar calendar do not align perfectly, the holiday "jumps" around the calendar between late March and late April.

Question 2

Where does the name "Easter" come from?

Accepted Answer

In English and German, the name is derived from an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess named Eostre (or Ostara in German). She was the goddess of the dawn and the rising sun, and her name shares the same linguistic root as the word "east." According to the 8th-century monk the Venerable Bede, the month of April was originally called "Eosturmonath" in her honor. When the Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity, they kept the traditional name of the pagan month to describe the new Christian festival of the resurrection.

Question 3

How did a rabbit become associated with laying eggs?

Accepted Answer

The connection likely began as a simple misunderstanding of nature. Hares do not live in underground burrows; instead, they live in "forms," which are small flattened nests in the grass. A ground-nesting bird called a lapwing often lays its eggs in these abandoned hare nests. Historically, a person walking through a field might see a hare bolt away and, upon looking down at the spot where the animal had been sitting, find a nest full of eggs. This led to the folk belief that the hare had actually laid the eggs.

Question 4

Why were eggs traditionally colored and given as gifts?

Accepted Answer

The tradition of coloring eggs began as a practical solution to the strict rules of Lent. In the Middle Ages, eggs were considered "contraband" and were forbidden to be eaten or sold for forty days. However, chickens continued to lay eggs at peak production during the spring. To preserve this surplus, people hard-boiled the eggs and stained them with natural dyes—like onion skins for red or herbs for green—to distinguish the older eggs from the fresh ones. When the fast ended on Easter Sunday, these preserved, brightly colored eggs became a precious treat and a symbol of the resurrection.

Question 5

Is there a historical connection between Easter and the Babylonian goddess Ishtar?

Accepted Answer

Despite popular internet memes, there is no linguistic or historical connection between Easter and Ishtar. The theory was popularized by a 19th-century minister named Alexander Hislop, who incorrectly assumed that because the names sounded similar, they must be related. In reality, Ishtar is a Semitic name associated with symbols like the lion and the star, while Easter comes from a Proto-Indo-European root. Furthermore, the Anglo-Saxons who first used the word "Easter" had no historical contact with or knowledge of ancient Babylonian mythology.

Easter History and Why the Date Always Changes

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