Except for one blatant mistranslation in the King James version, the Bible doesn't call it Easter. Instead the day of crucifixion is called the day of Preparation, and the following day is a high holiday called Passover. This was followed by a week of Unleavened Bread, with a wave-sheaf ceremony (offering the first-fruits of the harvest to Heaven) being conducted the day after the weekly sabbath during that week.
The name Easter
itself may be related to the ancient
goddess Ishtar or Astarte,
and most modern Easter celebrations, such as those related to
rabbits and eggs, are clearly Pagan in origin and have nothing
to do with the Christian event.
But other Easter practices actually are mentioned in the Bible.
Sunrise ceremonies:
Ezekiel 8:16 —
…
between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men,
with their backs toward the temple of the LORD,
and their faces toward the east;
and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Lent:
Ezekiel 8:14 —
Then he brought me to the door of the gate
of the LORD's house which was toward the north;
and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
In Babylonian myth, Tammuz was killed by a wild boar,
and his wife Ishtar dedicated 40 days to weeping and fasting.
Hot-cross buns:
Jeremiah 7:18 —
The children gather wood,
and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough,
to make cakes to the queen of heaven, … .
The cross symbol comes from the letter t
, for Tammuz,
husband of Ishtar, the queen of heaven.
Easter ham:
Leviticus 11:8 —
Of their flesh shall ye not eat,
and their carcase shall ye not touch; they [are] unclean to you.
In the Babylonian myth, Tammuz was killed by a wild boar,
so eating ham has a double significance today.
What is most interesting in all of these events is that they are given as explicit examples of practices that God's people should not follow.