Why Some Christians No Longer Celebrate Easter (And Celebrate Unleavened Bread and First Fruits Instead)

There is a growing movement in the body of Christ that is setting aside the holiday of Easter and no longer taking part in its festivities. These aren't people that are walking away from the faith or who no longer believe in the Messiah, but people growing their faith who are no longer compelled to participate in this widely loved custom. Some who have gone this route might refer to themselves as Torah observant, Hebrew roots, or whole Bible believers, but most don't give themselves any sort of special denomination - they are followers of the Messiah, who have chosen to step away from Easter. Let's talk about why this is.

 In this post we will discover:

-Why more and more Christians are no longer participating in Easter.

-What the Bible says about this traditional holiday.

-Some of the origins of Easter.

-When the appropriate time is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Maybe you've noticed this trend in your community. Long-standing members of church no longer using the word Easter. Maybe your in-laws have stopped hiding Easter eggs for the grandkids. Neighbors no longer decorating their yard. Relatives cooking lamb instead of ham.

It's easy to assume they are no longer believers in Jesus since they aren't celebrating his resurrection in this traditional way. Stop celebrating Easter and people will assume you had some sort of crisis of faith, or maybe that you have a Jewish background. But for a large portion of Christians, neither of those are the case! More and more people who love the Messiah - and who do rejoice that he rose from the dead - choose to no longer take part in Easter. We are going to explore the reasons behind this.

Why are people no longer celebrating Easter?

A little research into Easter reveals some concerning truths:

-The word Easter is not used in the Bible and certainly wasn't what the Disciples and early church called the day of the Messiah's resurrection.

-This holiday was not created in Jesus's honor.

-Easter does not come from the Bible, but is rooted in practices that were never intended to glorify YHWH.

-Many parts of modern celebrations have their origins in ungodly things or are even expressly forbidden by Scripture.

Yes, Easter can be fun and even spiritually meaningful, but that does not negate the concerns listed here. What if there's a better way to honor the resurrection of the Savior?

What does the Bible say about Easter?

Precisely nothing, believe it or not.

Many people believe that Easter is in the Bible, but no, only the story of the Savior's resurrection is. It's important to recognize that the word Easter is not used in Scripture. This means that there's no part of the Bible or directive from Jesus to take part in anything known as Easter, and no record of the disciples doing so. 

*Only in the King James Version is the word Easter used, and only once. It is used in Acts 12:4, but a look at Strong's Concordance reveals the original Greek word used was pascha, which means Passover.

Whether or not it was created with intent to honor God, Easter is still a manmade holiday. I could create a holiday to commemorate Jesus feeding the 5,000. It could be fun and meaningful, but it would hardly be appropriate to say you don't love God if you don't keep it along with me.

What's the problem with Easter?

Easter is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. There's worship, it's family time, it gets people into church, it's fun, it's not laden with the rampant consumerism of Christmas...what's the problem?

The problem is that we are mixing the glorious truth that the Messiah lives, with lies. The egg laying bunny, yes. But more significantly, by choosing Easter, we are negating the Biblical holiday that the Savior really did resurrect on...one made by the Creator himself, and one that all generations of his people are commanded to keep.

Easter is settling for less than God's best. It's mixing truth with lies.

You can still have the celebration, the worship, the family time, and the joy of Jesus' resurrection...but you can also do so in a way that's more in line with the Bible!

While the consumerism isn't as rampantly out of control as during the Christmas season, it is tragic that much of Easter celebrations are centered around new outfits and an unspoken contest to get the cutest family photo. I question any holiday that pushes the consumption of unethically made goods (sweat shop made clothing, plastic eggs, Easter baskets that get thrown away, and candy filled with questionable ingredients).

But also...when we say yes to Easter, we are saying no to other things...such as the real holidays that the Savior died and rose on. The problem isn't just that it's debatable if God is honored by leading hunts for plastic eggs filled with candy. The real problem is while we are busy with our own traditions, we are missing out on the opportunity to know God and his word better through his own holidays.

Why does it matter what you call it?

It's worth mentioning that the word Easter is based off the name of a Saxon goddess called Eostre, which means something like 'dawn goddess.' Calling the day of the Messiah's resurrection from the dead after a mythical goddess is inappropriate. Obviously the common sunrise services of Easter Sunday have some concerning implications connected to the dawn goddess. How would you like it if your loved ones started referring to your birthday by the name of an enemy of yours?

We should also note that in many pagan religions, saying or chanting the name of a god or goddess was thought to worship them and to invoke their power. This could explain the Biblical directive in Exodus 23:13 to not speak the names of other gods.

If Easter is the name of another god (and it is common knowledge that it is), then simply saying 'Happy Easter' is in direct violation of a Biblical commandment.

Words matter.

What are the origins of Easter?

Easter's origins are debated. Some say its roots are a pagan festival that occurred many years before Christ. Others will say it was an attempt of the early church to modernize the Passover festival. 

A concerning connection to many Easter practices comes from Ezekiel 8, which was written around 593 BC. While the word Easter is not used (remember, it doesn't appear in the Bible), it's difficult to read this passage and not have Easter traditions come to mind.

Ezekiel 8 mentions:

-Figures of unclean animals in the Temple of YHWH (8:10)

-Levitical priests participating in a sunrise service (8:16)

And what's more God says these are "horribly disgusting practices" (8:6), and that an idol that makes God jealous is present (8:3).

Again, the Bible never says this is an Easter service, and not all modern Eastern celebrations involve unclean animals (such as rabbits, or the traditional Easter ham), but it should give us pause when our worship practices are similar to ones the Bible harshly criticizes.

What are people doing instead of Easter?

There's been a huge influx in the number of believers that are celebrating the holidays that YHWH created - the Biblical holidays listed in Leviticus 23. Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Trumpets, the Day of Cleansing, and Tabernacles. These are holidays that God created and then commanded believers to celebrate "for all generations." These holidays have the spiritual depth and meaning that many of us have so longingly looked for in Christmas and Easter.

Did you know that the Messiah not only died on one of these holidays (Passover), but that he resurrected during the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Specifically on the day known as First Fruits - which is the day the priests would offer the 'first fruit' offering of grain that is waved before YHWH. Jesus was the ultimate first fruit offering when he went to his Father that day! (1 Corinthians 15:20)

More and more of God's followers are choosing to celebrate the resurrection on First Fruits, because this is consistent with what the Bible says happened! This happens at a similar time (sometimes even the same day) as Easter, and in many ways the celebrations are similar. It's a day of worship and joy! Good food is served (but no leavened or yeasted breads!), loved ones gather together.

The differences are simple and easy changes to make:

-Calling it First Fruits and Unleavened Bread instead of Easter.

-No bunnies or Easter eggs.

-No leaven is used during the Feast of Unleavened Bread so there are no leavened or yeasted breads.

What to do with friends who no longer celebrate Easter:

Remember that stepping back from Easter doesn't mean they don't celebrate the resurrection of the Savior!

They are still your friends and family! Remember that they are doing their best to honor God and celebrate the work of Jesus in a way that honors Scripture. They have not made this choice because they don't love you or because they want to hurt you. Chances are good that they've prayed about this and prayed for people to be receptive to their choices and not offended or hurt by them.

There's nothing easy about walking away from family traditions or being the one at Bible study to say, "What about the holidays of Leviticus 23? What about Ezekiel 8?" Even if you don't agree with their choice or appreciate how they are presenting it, your encouragement and kindness would mean so much to them.

Rather than shaming friends and family with comments like, "You must not love Jesus if you don't celebrate Easter," give them credit for studying and working to honor God in all of their lives. Or ask them about how their faith has grown.

And please remember it's not a choice they made because they don't serve the Messiah - plenty of people and cultures around the world take part in Easter festivities without any thought to remembering the Savior rising from the dead.

Choosing not to take part in Easter doesn't mean that someone doesn't love the Savior or doesn't celebrate his resurrection. Not celebrating Easter is a protest against compromise, and an attempt to honor YHWH by doing what he says.

Not only is Easter not something the Bible gives us instruction to do, but when we devote our attention to it instead of the Biblical holidays, we miss out on the lifestyle and spiritual significance God wants us to learn through his holidays. Celebrating Biblical holidays helps us to better understand the word of God. Don't trade that for cheap candy and new outfits. Choosing Easter over First Fruits and Unleavened Bread is settling for less than God's best for us.

Related posts:
What are the Differences Between Passover and Easter?
Why I Started Celebrating the Biblical Feasts
Five Things Every Believer Should Know about Easter