Does Easter Come From Paganism?

Many people have made an interesting claim, this being that Easter came from Paganism. So, does this have any validity or is it just nonsense made up to stir up controversy? Well, let us take a look at these claims and see if they actually are true.

Does The Name "Easter" Come From  Paganism?

The name coming from Paganism is probably the most common claim, and for a fair reason. Ishtar, Eostre, and Astarte are Pagan goddesses, people will claim that the name "Easter" is derived from one of these gods as they sound /appear so similar. In all honesty, some Christians may be disappointed to learn that the name Easter was most likely derived from Ostara.

The fourth Germananic month was Eosturmonath, named after the Germanic god Eostre. Eosturmonath eventually became Easter Month as the holiday was celebrated during this month, and then eventually(and finally) to just Easter.  It must be noted, however, that Pascha was the original name for Easter; Easter is only the Germanic name of Pascha.  Pascha comes from Passover, as it happened during this time. Most languages, excluding the Germanics, use a word derived from Pascha. Here are some examples: Paști(Romanian), Paasfees(Africcaans), Pashke(Albanian), Pasxa(Azerbaijani), Pazkoa(Basque), Pasen(Dutch), Pascua(Galician), Páska(Icelandic), etc. There are many more examples, but I doubt that is needed.

So yes, the name Easter most likely did come from Paganism. The actual holiday, Pascha, did not. 

Works Sited:

2008. Eggs of many colors. [image] Available at: <https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2607036664> [Accessed 2 May 2022].

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Astarte". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Mar. 2017, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Astarte-ancient-deity. Accessed 20 April 2022.

Hillerbrand, Hans J.. "Easter". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday. Accessed 20 April 2022.