Is Easter A Pagan Holiday?
This is the question we pondered on . In my home-school this year I have decided to look into the origins of so called "holy days". I think it’s important to explain to my children what it is they are seeing around them. In the shop windows and at friends and family's homes,on television and in public buildings. There is just no escaping it and explaining to them from The Bible what we believe as a family.
I will be putting up seasonal decorations to help them visualise the seasons . I’ve been teaching the little ones how to use a calendar and so have been looking at the days of the week and months of the year too.
Some of the buzz words we came across in our Easter /Lent research were Nimrod,Tamuz, Semaramis as they are known in Ancient Babylon.
In the rise and fall of each civilisation, it would appear that the conquerors adopted various aspects of the previous religion and rebranded them.
As a child I went to sunrise services and had Easter ham I went to church at midday on ash Wednesday to have my parish priest put a cross of ash on my forehead. For that period of Lent I saw people say they were going to abstain from a certain thing but neglected the very weighty things and ironically went back to doing it sometimes the very next day not even the full forty days. That always puzzled me as a child.I'm so glad of our decision to find a bible believing church.The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits, hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon.
What is the ONE thing that God has called ALL of his people (Jew and Gentile) to observe?
1 Corinthians 11:24-26 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
The only "observance" we're told to do is remembering the Lord through bread and wine for his awe-inspiring ransom he paid in full for our sins. This is the only observance we are given in the new testament scripture apart from keeping the 10 commandment law including the Sabbath
The following video is one I shared with my children not sure about the religious convictions of the presenter but his delivery of the main facts were short and easy for my kids to understand
We planted flowers that we learned about that can be seen all around England. We did some arts and crafts from this free website on this seasonal theme Easter and Spring
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/easter/index.html
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/index.htm
Book List
Hello Peter! Peter Rabbit touch and feel. Touch and count with Peter Rabbit
Hot Cross Bunny Ferdies Springtime blossom
Guess how much I love you in the Spring? Signs of Spring
"The Secret Garden " by Frances Hodgson Burnett
"Alice in Wonderland " by Lewis Caroll
The Following video I prepared for you with the high lights of this Spring season
May God bless you as make your home a place where angels can dwell.