From: lhughes@b11.ingr.com (Lawrence Hughes)
Subject: Re: kids and morals
Summary: the real meaning of the easter season
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, AL
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 14:33:29 GMT

In article <1992Apr13.180357.11638@infonode.ingr.com>, deaverpf@infonode.ingr.com (Paul F. Deaver) writes:
> Chris Spray writes:
> >
> >KW> PSS: How did a stupid bunny ever get associated with the RESURRECTION
> >KW> (sp)?
> >
> >I know I said I was leaving, but since this one isn't controversial, I'll 
> >answer.  It is because of the Pagans.
> 
> Can we find some way even more inflamitory to blame the evils of pagan 
> (notice the lowercase "p" in contrast to Mr. Spray's uppercase "p"... 
> no, I don't worship pagans ;-) rabbits?  Personally, I think Mr. Hallmark 
> had something to do with this.  
> 
> Keith, I always figured you had it in you *(:-).  Good job. 
> 
> --
> Paul Deaver

What I would like to know, is how did CHRIST get associated with the pagan
holiday (Bealtaine) that celebrates the generative powers of nature, as
exemplified with the egg and rabbit? The answer is obvious - as with other
major pagan holidays, the christian church used force and persecution to
impose their holidays on the populous to help supress the native religions.
I find it interestering and instructive that the communist world co-opted
this celebration for THEIR own ends with a celebration of labor (manual, not
childbearing). Similar desires (thought control of the masses) - similar
tactics.

Bealtaine (also known as May day, still celebrated by much of the world) falls
on April 30th (May Day eve). It was one of the two largest holidays of the
six (or eight, depending on tradition) in the pagan solar cycle. The four
minor Sabbats fall on the solstices and equinoxes, the four greater Sabbats (G)
on the dates roughly midway between these:

	Date	Celtic Name			Modern		Christianized

G	Feb 2	Imbolg				-------		Candelmas
	Mar 21	Vernal (Spring) Equinox		1st day Spring	St. Patricks
G	Apr 30	Bealtaine			May Day		Easter
	Jun 22	Midsummer			Summer Solstice	St. John's Day
G	Jul 31	Lughnasadh			---		Lammas
	Sep 21	Autumnal (Autumn) Equinox	1st day Fall	Michaelmas
G	Oct 31	Samhain				Halloween	All Saint's
	Dec 22	Yule 				Winter Solstice	Christmas

Imbolg - the quickening of the year, the first foetal stirrings of Spring in
the womb of mother Earth - a fire festival (light, rather than heat). Feast
of Brigid (the triple muse goddes, fertility bringer - later christianized
to St. Brigid)

Vernal Equinox - Light and dark in balance, light ascending. Not originally
observed by the early pagans (added to the six older ones later).

Bealtaine - one of the two greatest festivals - beginning of Summer. Fire
festival (name derived from Bel-fire, tracable back to Baal, which means Lord).
Lighting of the national bel-fire (and subsequent local ones) - jumping over
the fire by young people to bring themselves mates, pregnant women to ensure
easy delivery and by cows to improve milk yield. Fertility symbols include
eggs and rabbits.

Midsummer - sun at highest, day at longest. Death of the Oak King (god of the
waxing year), ascendancy of the Holly King (god of the waning year). Fire
festival.

Lughnasadh -  observance of sun crossing zodiac (as are all major Sabbats),
usually from high hills or mountains, in the open air. Lugh was a fire and light
God, possibly connected with Lucifer ("light bringer" - later villainized by
christians as the devil), also associated with cleverness, technical innovation
and skilled craftsmen.

Autumnal Equinox - day and night in balance, "rest after labor" theme. Later
christianized into Michaelmas (festival of Michael/Lucifer, archangel of
Fire and Light). Thanksgiving for end of the harvest (later formalized to end
of November).

Samhain - beginning of Winter, dark counterpart of May Day. Originally New
Year's Day for Celts. Christianized to All Hallow's (All Saint's) Day, and
observed with pagan symbols as Halloween. The veil between the living and
dead worlds was thinnest at this time, and many practices, such as setting a
place for a dead relative at the table, and thinking/talking about dead
relatives were based on this. Time of propitiation, divination and communion
with the dead. Modern Guy Fawkes Day (who tried to dynamite Parliament)
celbrations unwittingly echo many of the old Samhain rites and traditions.

Yule - death and rebirth of Sun God (from Norse "Iul", or wheel (of life)).
Death of Holly King (god of Waning Year), ascendancy of Oak King (god of
waxing year). Christian nativity story reflects the Sun's Rebirth theme of
Yule (Christ's birth date is not mentioned in the christian bible, and was
fixed at Dec 25 in AD 273, based on similarity of pagan observances, mostly
to redirect pagan celebrations to christian ones. Pagan symbols are the 
"christmas" tree, holly wreathes, candles (fire), yule logs, etc. 

Larry "how about that - bunnies and eggs CAN be controversial" Hughes


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