There is some debate about the origins of the word Easter, but one strong possibility is that it is the Germanic name of a Divinity of the Radiant Dawn. Just as the celebrations around Christmas may have arisen from Pagan celebrations of Sol Invictus, or the Unconquerable Sun, celebrated at the time of the Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, in defiant hope of the Sun’s light and warmth returning to full strength despite the long winter ahead, so too is Easter a celebration of the Radiant Dawn when the light is in fact returning to its full strength. The Easter celebration is tied to the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox - the day that signals the end of winter and after which every day grows brighter and brighter until the Summer Solstice. Easter is both a celebration of the Sun rising again after a long, dark winter, and a celebration of the Son of God rising again after His death. Chris is the Divinity of the Radiant Dawn. Because of Him, light triumphs over darkness, life triumphs over death and He brings all of us into the warmth and radiance of His loving embrace.
