Easter and the Number 40

All the way back to Ancient Sumer

Firstly, happy Easter Monday to those of you that celebrate Easter!

Whilst most people know the traditional story of Easter - Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion and death before his resurrection on the third day, Easter Sunday - many don’t know the history and theories behind the Christian festival. Furthermore, the number 40 keeps cropping up but not just in the stories about Easter.

As you can imagine, from time immemorial there have been festivals to celebrate the arrival of spring. After a long Winter, seeing life begin to flourish again (and therefore more food) would be a cause for celebration in anyone’s books. Therefore, one theory is that the name “Easter” comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess ‘Eostre’ who was associated with the spring season and fertility. Or perhaps this was borrowed from even earlier traditions.

One reason that Easter is likely to have originated as a spring festival is that the celebration is what is known as a ‘moveable feast’. This means that the date of Easter changes year to year depending on the Paschal full Moon and can occur anytime from late March to late April. The Paschal full Moon is the first full Moon immediately following the spring equinox (21 March) and Easter occurs on the first Sunday after this (with a few exceptions).

The word ‘Paschal’ comes from ‘Pascha’ which is the Greek/Latin/Aramaic word for ‘Passover’. Therefore, another theory on the origins of Easter is that it may have been influenced by the Jewish festival of Passover. Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt and is traditionally observed in the spring. The Paschal lamb is sacrificed during Passover and the Holy Lamb is also symbolical of Jesus Christ.

Other Easter symbols show the link between the festival and spring celebrations. Easter eggs and bunnies represent new life, rebirth and fertility with the hare being an Egyptian symbol of fertility. White Easter lilies are often linked to Mary and the baby Jesus and Christ’s resurrection. They represent purity, rebirth and new beginnings but are also symbols of motherhood in many other religions. Greek legends say the lily grew from the milk of the Goddess Hera.

Another ‘Queen of Heaven’ was worshipped at least 4,000 years before Christ was meant to have been born. The ancient Mesopotamian goddess of fertility, ‘Inanna’, would later be called ‘Ishtar’ (sound a bit like Easter?) when renamed by the Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. According to myths, Ishtar journeyed to the underworld, passing through seven gates and losing some of her powers at each one. Arriving in the underworld, naked and without her powers, she was killed and left on a stake for three days until she was brought back to life.

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