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Jul!a
The origins of the word "Easter" are not certain, but probably derive from Estre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The German word stern has the same derivation, but most other languages follow the Greek term used by the early Christians:
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The origins of the word "Easter" are not certain, but probably derive from Estre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The German word stern has the same derivation, but most other languages follow the Greek term used by the early Christians: pascha, from the Hebrew pesach (Passover).
In Latin, Easter is Festa Paschalia (plural because it is a seven-day feast), which became the basis for the FrenchPâques, the Italian Pasqua, and the Spanish Pascua. Also related are the Scottish Pask, the Dutch Paschen, the Danish Paaske, and the Swedish Pask.
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There's also Eostre (also known as Ôstarâ), who was a Germanic Goddess. Many of the pagan festival days (like Ostara) were snagged by the early Christians as a way of making the switch to Christianity less hard on those they converted. /history and mythology geek
