Is Easter a pagan sex celebration that was stolen by Christians?

Before I say anything here, let me first make it clear that I have people in my life who are sensitive to the cultural customs of other ancient faiths. I have no intention of insulting anyone here, and the title of this blog might lead social media warriors to feel attacked and angry with me. I’d also like to point out that many tragic things took place over centuries during the colonial era, and various forms of Christianity have been tied to violent colonization. These events make the people of today sensitive to the idea that ancient cultural practices were appropriated by Western nations. I respect the heart behind this. Disentangling the etymology of Easter does not excuse the violence of colonialism. 

The only reason I’m writing this is because I get asked every year (every. single. year.) if Christians should celebrate Easter when it has been appropriated by an old pagan tradition attached to a goddess named Ishtar.

My Short answer.

Yes. It’s Okay.

If you care why, keep reading. 

Here’s the claim that has made the rounds on social media: 

“Ishtar (pronounced ‘Easter’) was originally a celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and the bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols (or did you actually think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with resurrection?). After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. But at its roots, Easter (which is how you pronounce Ishtar) is all about celebrating fertility and sex.”

People love to blame stuff on Constantine. I’ve heard a dozen made-up theories (the bible was changed under Constantine, the identity of Jesus was distorted under Constantine, the pagan festivals were replaced under Constantine, etc.), and they all have zero evidence, but sound legitimate because they brought up Constantine. 

That’s a word for another day. 

Back to Easter.

Ishtar is a goddess in the Ancient Near East (ANE) featured in The Epic of Gilgamesh. She was typically associated with war, fertility, and sex (many ancient god-figures were). She existed in the Sumerian pantheon and was featured in Mesopotamian civilization in various ways. The most well-known feature (outside of Gilgamesh) was Nebuchadnezzar II’s gate, built in Babylon in 569 B.C. in Ishtar’s honor.

The fact is, there is no evidence/documentation that Ishtar has anything to do with Easter whatsoever. The idea is completely made up. For one thing, Ishtar is not pronounced “East-er,” it is pronounced “Ish-taa.” It appears as (𒀭´kتََر) in Akkadian, which was an adaptation of “Inanna” (𒀭宁) in Sumerian. We get “Ishtar” from the sounds these symbols represented in the ANE. And speaking of symbols, Ishtar was associated with storms and clouds (kind of like Baal in the Phoenician world), and her sacred symbol was a lion, which signified the roar of thunder in a storm. Bunnies and eggs were never involved, though bunnies and eggs certainly have been symbols of fertility in the past.

The word Easter, according to almost every credible source, originates from the Latin phrase Dominica in albis depositis (Sunday of putting away the whites) in the second century. Newly baptized followers of The Way would wear white garments during the Easter Octave (8 days following Easter), and the term “in albis” (“daybreak,” or “break of day” in Spanish) was translated “eostarum” in Old High German. This became “ostern” (Oh-starn) in German, which turned into “Ēastrun” in Old English. You can see how we get to “Easter” from there.

Now, it is true that there is some conclusive evidence that pagan Anglo-Saxons believed in a goddess typically referred to as Ôstara. The etymology behind this is that the proper name of the deity is how the word “dawn” or “daybreak” came to be in the Anglo-Saxon languages. This does not mean that Easter itself is rooted in paganism, though. There simply wasn’t any other word that meant “daybreak” in Germanic languages. Many languages developed words around pagan deities. Think about “Saturday” (Sætern(es)dæg in Old English, which comes from Saturn, the ancient Roman god of agriculture), and how that word has no other origin outside of its pagan roots. That doesn’t mean that if I refer to “going to the park on Saturday,” I must be involved in some pagan worship of the god Saturn. That’s not how language works. Words are developed by societies and cultures based on their local beliefs and customs, even though those words can mean various other things over time. Michael Jordan is “the GOAT,” and he always will be, but the origin of what an actual goat is has nothing to do with him being the greatest of all time. 

So, whether or not you want to celebrate with eggs and bunnies is up to you, but if you’re worried that people call it “Easter” instead of “Resurrection Sunday” (Sunday comes from the sun god “Solis,” btw), I’d like to ease your mind. 

Don’t look for a pagan festival god behind every rock.