English Heritage, a charity that cares for over four hundred historic sites in every corner of England, faces criticism for calling Easter a pagan holiday. 

According to The Christian Post, in a booklet designed as “part of an Easter Adventure Quest designed for children visiting English Heritage sites like Whitby Abbey, Dover Castle, and Down House,” Easter is described as a spring celebration honoring the goddess, Eostre. 

“Did you know Easter started as a celebration of spring? Long ago, people welcomed warmer days and new life by honoring the goddess Eostre, who gave Easter its name!” the poster reads.  

An additional “fun fact” states, “Some traditions for Eostre included dancing around bonfires and decorating homes with flowers.” The poster, laden with pastel colors and cartoon images of flowers, a rabbit, and two young white children (wearing rabbit ears) against a cerulean sky, includes no religious iconography. 

Critics accuse the organization of “’whitewashing’ one of the holiest days for Christians by ignoring its Christian origins” altogether. As reported, even those who do not “identify as Christian still believe the booklet should mention the true origins of the holiday.” 

On Talk TV, broadcaster Peter Caldwell argues that even though paganism existed long before Christianity or Judaism, the cultural traditions of Easter are still very much a Christian holiday. 

In a conversation with Jewish broadcaster Jonny Gould, Gould states, “to not call it anything but a Christian festival is to attempt foolishly to delegitimize Christianity.” To the two men, to discredit the religious aspects of the holiday is also to discredit the cultural values of English history. 

Locals remain unconvinced of the argument against English Heritage. 

In response to an article in The Telegraph, reader David Cooks says, “I actually prefer the pagan tradition. I’m an atheist and don’t think we should indoctrinate children into believing in lies, but traditions must be respected and maintained.” 

As another reader cites, although the concept of a spring festival pre-dates Christianity, “that doesn’t detract at all from the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ (if you are a believer).” 

Still others, like reader Bill Palmer, affirm the origins of the egg and the bunny: “Why not? The egg is pagan in origin, signifying rebirth. The bunny—properly hare—is a symbol of fertility and the coming of spring. Both are part of the celebration of the bountiful goddess Eostre. Plus, of course, children love chocolate.” 

Although the organization’s website describes Easter “the most important date in the religious calendar since the very earliest days of Christianity,” the booklet makes no reference of religion. 

“English Heritage sought to explain the omission by stating that the booklet was part of an educational series aimed at children and that they extensively cover Easter’s diverse historical and cultural traditions across their various educational materials and website content,” The Christian Post writes. 

Likewise, the charity’s Facebook page gives nod to the origin of the Christian tradition by describing “how the Easter egg hunt originated in 16th century Germany through Protestant reformer Martin Luther” who “organized egg hunts for his congregation as a symbolic gesture referring to the biblical story of Christ’s resurrection, where women discovered the empty tomb.” 

Discrepancies between English Heritage’s website and the booklet remain inconsistent, which only seems to fuel the debate.