Easter

Easter is approaching this coming weekend. Today, while completely distracted at work, I was wondering: what on earth is the connection between pastel colored eggs, candy, a bunny and the resurrection of Christ and the term Easter.  The rest of the typical holidays are a little more straightforward... this one, not so much. 

Why is it called Easter?

• The exact origins of this religious feast day's name are unknown. Some sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old High German, which eventually became Easter in English 1

Where did Easter Rabbits and Eggs Comes From?

• The symbols of the Norse Goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg. Both represented fertility. From these, we have inherited the customs and symbols of the Easter egg and Easter rabbit.
• Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of the ancient, pre-Christian Babylonian mystery religions. "The egg as a symbol of fertility and of renewed life goes back to the ancient Egyptians and Persians, who had also the custom of coloring and eating eggs during their spring festival." 2
• "Like the Easter egg, the Easter hare came to Christianity from antiquity. The hare is associated with the moon in the legends of ancient Egypt and other peoples....Through the fact that the Egyptian word for hare, UM, means also "open" and "period," that hare came to be associated with the idea of periodicity, both lunar and human, and with the beginning of new life in both the young man and young woman, and so a symbol of fertility and of the renewal of life. As such, the hare became linked with Easter...eggs." 2
• Christian tradition states that when Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14 - 37 CE), she gave him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection -- a symbol of new life. Some believe that the Christian tradition of giving eggs to each other at Easter time came from this event. 3

How did a bunch of stuff with such scattered origins become a main staple of what is, apparently, the biggest Christian holiday?  Am I the only one baffled by this?  I'm afraid to do the same research on Christmas, which I have yet to do.

Sometimes, like now, I think that maybe it's better not to question things so much!

1 http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-easter
2 "Easter," Encyclopedia Britannica
3 "Feasts and Saints of the Orthodox Church: July 22," Orthodox Church in America, at: http://www.oca.org/