Happy Ostara! Part 1

Many of us know Easter to be one of the most renowned celebrations in the Christian world.
However, few know that its origins can be traced in the historical alcoves of Pagan spirituality.

Spring Equinox (or Vernal Equinox) is a crucial time in human consciousness and is placed in between the 19th and the 21st of March. The rebirth of Nature from the shadows of wintry gloom represented the archetype of the God’s rebirth and victory over the forces of Dark and the theme of the “harrowing of Hell”.

The latter is roughly translated into Greek (κατελθόντα εἰς τὰ κατώτατα) and Latin (descendit ad inferos) meaning the “descent of Hell” (also katabasis). This concept has been picked up by Christianity to describe Christ’s triumph over Hell and the release of its righteous captives. Yet it is clearly understood by an observation of the Moon’s cycle: the moon is not visible for three days (when the New Moon is born) and this is explained as being the Goddess’ 3-day sojourn in the underworld.
Thus Christ as a solar deity, doesn’t necessarily follow the tradition of the descent of the Lunar Goddesses in the underworld.

Yet the Vernal Equinox is certainly represented as being the victory of the God of Light over the God of Darkness. A perfect example can be found in the Welsh myth of Llew and Goronwy (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/LLew.html) where Llew (the god of Light) kills Goronwy (the god of Darkness) with his spear (literally the hours of light start increasing whilst the hours of dark decrease).
The virgin Goddess (the Earth goddess) mates with the Sun God and conceives at the Vernal Equinox.

A more interesting myth is that of Cybele, the Phrygian fertility Goddess, and her companion, Attis. He was said to die and resurrect during the Vernal Equinox. Attis, born of a virgin, was a vegetation God just like Osiris, Dionysus or Orpheus and, like Nature, was reborn in this particular period.

Easter itself instead betrays its origins: Eastre (or Ostara) was a Saxon Goddess whose sacred animal was the hare, however Ostara, being a lunar Goddess, celebrates the Vernal Full Moon. This explanation arises from the writings of the Venerable Bede (De temporum ratione, XV):
Eostur-monath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretetur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur, et cui in illo festa celebrabant, nomen habuit.

(Eostur-month, which is now interpreted as the paschal month, was formerly named after the goddess Eostre, and has given its name to the festival)

The name Eastre, betrays the root east-, thus suggesting a connection with dawn (and more specifically with the Greek Goddess Eos). In the northern hemisphere spring is the rebirth of Nature, a "dawn" of a new cycle with marks an important part of agrarian and rural societies.
For Northern people Ostara marked the beginning of the resurrection of light, of the victory of Sunna over the wolves - thus the people had to encourage this rebirth by specific rituals.

PART 2 WILL BE ADDED BY THE END OF THE WEEK