Is Easter ‘Lord’s day’ or great deception?

It is one of the longest holidays of the year that many Kenyans wait anxiously. The government and private sector employees often prepare themselves for this period. Businesses are poised to register higher gains as many people plan to spend part of their savings on the holiday. Yes. It is the Easter holiday.

One that both rural and urban residents will wait upon with much hype just to spend time with family members in disclosed or undisclosed locations.

Businesses are poised to register higher gains as many people plan to spend part of their savings on the holiday. Yes. It is the Easter holiday. One that both rural and urban residents will wait upon with much hype just to spend time with family members in disclosed or undisclosed locations.

But as Kenyans take a break to enjoy this occasional period, it is the origin, event and the meaning of Easter that remain mysterious to many people, not only Kenyans. Traditionally, most Christians have always commemorated this period as traditionally, most Christians have always commemorated this period as a remembrance of crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christians mostly drawn from the Roman Catholic Church and other evangelical churches have held this day in high regard as they spend a better part of their time in churches. But other protestant churches such as the Seventh - day Adventist church have brushed aside the significance of the period. Perhaps, this would prompt many questions. What really happened that led to the Easter holiday? Does it have

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

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 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. According to the publication, Holy Thursday and Good Friday are to be held in reverence as Christians crown it with Easter.

Despite the veneration of the day, there are no connections between the day and the scriptures and the publication concedes to it.
“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 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”, states Catholic Online.

But on the flipside, there are other sources that 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.

“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.

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.