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== Origin of the name ==

== Origin of the name ==

The term "Easter" is derived from ''Eastre,'' the pagan goddess of fertility and spring. In biblical times the Jewish Passover, which commemorates the sparing of the [[Hebrew]] firstborns, was celebrated at roughly the same time as the [[spring equinox]] or this “Eastre” festival. As the Gospel was being spread to the pagans, the celebration of Eastre and the celebration of the resurrection became combined and the Christians adopted the name that the pagans had used for their festival.

Many suggest that the term "Easter" is derived from ''Eastre,'' the pagan goddess of fertility and spring. [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5695/#easter Others suggest] that the word comes from the anglo-saxon word for "passover". In biblical times the Jewish Passover, which commemorates the sparing of the [[Hebrew]] firstborns, was celebrated at roughly the same time as the [[spring equinox]] or this “Eastre” festival. The theory of pagan origin surmises that while the Gospel was being spread to the pagans, the celebration of Eastre and the celebration of the resurrection became combined and the Christians adopted the name that the pagans had used for their festival.

[[Category:Observances]][[category:Holidays]]

[[Category:Observances]][[category:Holidays]]