format_quote Originally Posted by
Ibrahim_K
Salaam,
Easter is actually a jewish celebration, called pesáh in hebrew, were the jewish people celebrate the Exodus from Egypt and the slavery they were subject to.
In a sense you are correct. the Biblical story of the Passion of Jesus takes place during the Passover, or the Pesach. But the timing is coincidental, according to Christian beliefs.
The Passover is the Jewish celebration of the miracle of the first born and the liberation of the Jews from Egypt.
Christians celebrate Easter because of their belief Jesus rose from dead on the third day of the Triduum, which in Roman Catholic tradition, starts on the Thursday prior to Easter Sunday.
Easter actually gets its name from the name of an ancient Pagan Goddess, Ostara, who was honored in some areas of Europe on or about the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Reverence for Ostara has had a "resurrection" of its own, in a manner of speaking, because some modern-day Pagans have revived the worship of her in North America and elsewhere.
In regards to the first question, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is revered, as is the virgin birth miracle, by many Christians, especially in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and, to some degree, Episcopalian and Lutheran traditions.
Some Protestant Christians consider the reverence of Mary to be heretical.
Peace,
Seeker