In Easter's Goddess We Trust

Easter is the oldest and most important Christian festival, marking the end of the fasting season of Lent and Jesus Christ's death, on Good (derived from God's) Friday, and resurrection, on Easter Sunday.

There are many customs and traditions associated with Easter, which, like most other holiday and feast days, are derived from a combination of both Jewish lore and pre-Christian pagan practices. It is named after Eostre, the goddess of fertility and birth, worshipped by first-century pagans at the vernal equinox, who believed she would bless both their families and their crops.

Missionaries saw that this celebration took place around the time of the resurrection of Christ, so they adopted Easter as a Christian holiday to increase conversion. Full Story

Related: religion, wicca, pagan, spells