Everybody looks forward to holidays—spanning from Christmas, the jolly time of year when the world nostalgically envisions snow descending upon the fallow earth, to Halloween, the tenebrous time where people delight in costumes and impetuously chanting, “Trick or treat!” But, does the thought ever cross our minds: “how did these holidays come about?” or, “why do we celebrate this day?” Although research shows that many of the festivals include Puritan traditions, over time they fell victim to corrupt, pagan practices,—ranging from the cute but misguided efforts of Easter to the nefarious elements of Halloween. Do reasons to still feel joyful and happy when the holidays come around remain? I believe so, but only with caution and a greater …show more content…
Almost everything about the secular Easter in our world today smells of idolatry; the eggs, the bunny, and obviously the name--reminiscent of Ishtar, a Babylonian goddess! If this holiday really revolved around Jesus, why is it not labeled Resurrection Day or Passover? In fact, since the First Council of Nicaea, Easter can date as little as three weeks away from the Jewish Passover and is uniformly set as the first Sunday after the spring equinox. Coincidentally, that day also presumedly celebrated Ishtar. 2 Corinthians 6:16 says, “What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols?” Easter has become a tapestry of many interwoven threads—some noble and some ignoble. I think that the innocent-looking activities contribute only as a distraction and therefore become a poor choice to engage it. My family and I do not celebrate them in the customary ways, but instead bake a cake in the shape of a cross. We usually spend the time reserved for the Easter hunt as a time to bond with each other and reflect on/praise Jesus. Turning the day into the celebration of Jesus coming back to life is something that I do think acts as the most important thing to