The bit about "catholic" is true, bearing in mind the following caveats: (1) That's lower-c "catholic," not "Catholic", (2) the Athanasian Creed (which isn't by Athanasius and isn't a creed, go figure) and Apostles' Creed are both Western, (3) the term "orthodox" also came into fashion following Chalcedon to exclude the Churches we now know as the Oriental Orthodox, and (4) "Catholic" in common usage refers not only to the Roman patriarchate, but also to the sui iuris Churches in communion with it, e.g. the Maronites, or the Syro-Malabar Church.
Easter, as we celebrate it today in the U.S., obviously has both Christian and non-Christian influences. Which ones predominate depends on how you celebrate it. But yah, I agree that it's a little silly to get worked up over eggs and bunnies.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore opines that the most likely possibility is that "Easter" derives from a term for the rising dawn in the east, which got applied to early spring, natch. It also suggests old Bæda simply assumed "Easter" had a pagan origin.
Unfortunately, being a youngster, I wasn't born before the Reformation. I'll take your word for it that that's what you guys believed until 1529.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Eostremonat
Date: 2006-04-18 12:15 am (UTC)Easter, as we celebrate it today in the U.S., obviously has both Christian and non-Christian influences. Which ones predominate depends on how you celebrate it. But yah, I agree that it's a little silly to get worked up over eggs and bunnies.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore opines that the most likely possibility is that "Easter" derives from a term for the rising dawn in the east, which got applied to early spring, natch. It also suggests old Bæda simply assumed "Easter" had a pagan origin.
Unfortunately, being a youngster, I wasn't born before the Reformation. I'll take your word for it that that's what you guys believed until 1529.