Friday's Feminist

Eastre, The Great Mother Goddess

The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE ) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that

Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." She is the Anglo-Saxon personification of the dawn. She is a fertility goddess and a friend to children, and she changed her pet bird into a rabbit to amuse them. Here are some customs my lady of the Spring likes you to enjoy:
Hot cross buns — At the feast of Eostre, an ox, was sacrificed, and its crossed horns became a symbol of the season carved into the bread. The word 'bun' derives from the Saxon word 'boun' meaning 'sacred ox'.
Easter lilies — It's believed that the lily, because of its shape, was associated with the reproductive organs, and therefore with fertility.
Easter candles — The pagans light bonfires to welcome the rebirth of the sun God.

Easter Bunny — The earthly symbol for the goddess Eastre, goddess of the dawn, is the rabbit, a symbol of new life.

Easter eggs — The egg has been a symbol of rebirth and fertility for many centuries. Long before Christianity was introduced, eggs were painted with bright colours to celebrate the sunlight of spring. There's ancient evidence of egg rolling and egg-tossing contests as well as egg gift-giving. In pagan times the egg was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil, and brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new home. To be given an egg was to wish many children upon the recipient.
Decorating and colouring eggs was a popular custom in the middle ages, and throughout Europe different cultures have evolved their own styles and colours. In Greece, crimson-coloured eggs are exchanged, whereas in Eastern Europe and Russia silver and gold decorations are common, and Austrian eggs often have plant and fern design.

Oh joy, Spring is here! So shine shine, pretty baby be a freind of mine........