Myths and mix-ups
The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin. Britannica Scholars: Easter One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, an Anglo-Saxon goddess possibly associated with spring and fertility. Britannica Scholars: Easter
Given the determination with which Christians combated all forms of paganism, Britannica calls the idea that Christians appropriated pagan names and holidays for their highest festivals a rather dubious presumption. Britannica Scholars: Easter There is now widespread consensus that the word derives from the Christian designation of Easter week as in albis, a Latin phrase that was understood as the plural of alba ("dawn") and became eostarum in Old High German. Britannica Scholars: Easter
The Latin and Greek Pascha ("Passover") provides the root for Paques, the French word for Easter. Britannica Scholars: Easter Despite Bede's theory and the similarity between the words Eostre and Easter, they do not share etymological roots. Britannica Scholars: Easter bunny
In the modern era the connection between Eostre, spring, and the hare has been disputed; she may have been a local protective deity rather than a fertility figure. Britannica Scholars: Easter bunny
The word Easter
Britannica records Bede's 8th-century view that Easter comes from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess, but calls that a rather dubious presumption and reports a widespread consensus that the word comes from in albis, "dawn," via Old High German eostarum. The Easter-bunny essay adds that Eostre and Easter do not share etymological roots, and that the modern link between Eostre, spring and the hare has been disputed. We report both accounts and do not treat the goddess derivation as settled.
The date is not fixed
Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Britannica Scholars: Easter In the 20th century several attempts were made to arrive at a fixed date for Easter, with the Sunday following the second Saturday in April specifically proposed. While this proposal and others had many supporters, none came to fruition. Britannica Scholars: Easter
The gap between the two Easters is different every year. It can be as much as five weeks. World Council of Churches
Years that do not quite agree
The first White House egg roll
Britannica's Easter article often credits the first annual White House egg roll to 1878, and also notes that some historical records place the first opening of the lawn in 1877. The eggs essay says the roll has been held, with some interruptions, on the Monday following Easter since 1878. We keep both years in view.
The fox that brought the eggs
The Scholars Easter article places the fox in Westphalia. The Students Easter article says northwestern Germany. Those descriptions overlap, but they are not the same wording, so both are given.
Orthodox Easter and Passover
Britannica says the Orthodox tradition prohibits Easter from being celebrated before or at the same time as Passover. The World Council of Churches, discussing the Nicaea rule, says today's theologians are no longer entirely certain what was meant by not celebrating Easter "with" the Jews, but that Orthodox Easter still cannot fall on the same day as Passover, and is postponed by a week if it does. We give each source its own wording and do not flatten them into one rule.
A short quiz, using the same wording, is on the games page.