6 Easter Secrets

Uncover The Hidden Side Of This Pagan Festival

Chocolate eggs and cute, fluffy bunnies are the hallmarks of the Easter season. But what does this strange symbolism really mean? Well, it's all linked to joyful Pagan traditions celebrating the resurrection of the world after the hibernation of winter.

Nature renews and rejuvenates at the Spring Equinox at the end of March. So people have marked this rebirth for thousands of years with symbols of the season of fertility. Eggs and rabbits all fit the theme of new life - although chocolate eggs are a very modern stroke of genius!

1) Easter is a Pagan goddess

Did you think that 'Easter' was one of those weird words with no particular meaning? Well, you'd be wrong! Because it's the name of a Pagan goddess. Sensual and seductive, the goddess Eostre awakens the world from its winter slumber with her bright golden light of the dawn. The 6th century scribe Saint Bede recorded the name of the Saxon goddess Eostre, who gives her name to the festival of Easter. Celebrated for thousands of years at Spring Equinox, which usually falls around March 20, Eostre's festival marks the lengthening and lightening of the days as winter gives way to spring. In modern Paganism, Eostre is goddess of Spring, symbolising the arrival of new life as nature blooms once again.

2) It's the season for love

Forget Valentine's Day because it is Eostre's Day that's the hottest time of year for a sizzling romance. As a fertility festival, the ancient origins of Easter are based around the potential to create new life. From baby animals frolicking in the fields to flowers bursting into bloom to you getting frisky with a loved one. Love and romance are well-starred at this time of year. The energy of Eostre is all about creating the new. So this could mean taking a chance on a new relationship, or making a fresh start within an existing one. Or if you want to begin a new creative project that is positive and beneficial to the world or to your world - now is the time to begin.

3) Easter eggs aren't about chocolate

You can thank Eostre as you gobble down your tasty chocolate treats this Easter! But do you know why you're eating those delicious egg-shaped chocs? It's because eggs are symbols of new life. Most living things originate from an egg, including humans. So eggs symbolise fertility and the potential for new life, which is what Easter is all about. By eating chocolate eggs you are performing a ritual of remembrance of Eostre's festival. So tuck in!

4) The Easter bunny isn't a rabbit

It might come as a bit of a shock to you but the cute Easter Bunny isn't actually a rabbit. And he's not all that cute and cuddly, either. Of course rabbits are everywhere at Easter as symbols of fertility because, well, they breed like rabbits! But the distinct character of the Easter Bunny, who is depicted as standing human-like on two legs, is the rabbit's more mysterious relative - the hare. The mythology of the hare is deeply entwined with lunar goddesses, including Eostre, Freya and Artemis. A secretive creature, the hare hides itself away in the wild and is more difficult to find. So ancient people believed that hares would die at each sunrise with the Moon, only to be reborn every sunset as the Moon rises. Hares were far from cuddly in ancient lore, often being considered shape-shifting creatures with supernatural powers.

5) Resurrection is a Pagan tradition

The idea of a god who dies and is resurrected is a common theme in much Pagan mythology. Examples from around the world are: Egyptian Osiris, Greek Dionysus, Roman Mithras, Greek Persephone, Norse Odin, Hindu Ganesha, Sumerian Tammuz, and Aztec Quetzalcoatl to name just a couple! So the resurrection myth is a well established part of Pagan folklore. But more importantly, you can watch the resurrection that these myths symbolise with your own eyes. Because these stories are all attempts to explain the miracle that is Mother Nature waking up from her winter hibernation into the rebirth of Spring.

6) It's a time for new beginnings

As the world renews, the refreshing energy of this change offers you the opportunity to change aspects of your life. Think about the things you would like to improve or achieve this year. Set yourself three goals. Two small and one bigger. Do something, no matter how slight, everyday that will bring you closer to achieving those goals. Happy Easter!