The Etymology of 'Easter' and 'Passover'

Most of you probably have a basic understanding of the Easter and Passover holidays, but I’ll give you a quick summary before we get to the language part.

Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the day that Jesus, known as the son of God in the Christian faith, was said to be resurrected from the dead. It’s Christianity’s oldest festival, and it’s observed on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. 

Passover is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. It also recognizes the night that God was said to “pass over” Jewish homes and spare them from a plague that killed all other firstborn children. Passover lasts seven or eight days, depending on where it’s being celebrated. It begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which falls during late March and early April.

What many people may not know about these two holidays is that they have a related linguistic history — at least in some languages.

Let me explain.   

Most words for Easter come from the Hebrew word for Passover

“Passover” comes from the Hebrew word “pesach,” which means to pass or spring over. And in most European languages, the word for “Easter” also has this root. 

For example, the French word for Easter is “Pâques.” The Dutch word is “Pasen.” The Turkish word is “Paskalya.” And the Spanish expression is “Pascua de Resurrección.”

Why is Easter so closely associated with Passover? Because Jesus was a Jewish person. His last meal — what Christians call the “Last Supper” — was a Passover celebration. Jesus was executed during Passover week, and he was said to come back to life three days later. 

In fact, early Christians celebrated Easter on the same day as Passover, regardless what day of the week it fell on. Nowadays, it’s always celebrated on a Sunday. This change came after about 300 years of controversy that rocked the church hierarchy. Sometime in the 1600s, the leaders finally decided that, yeah, Sunday would be the big day. 

The English and German Words for Easter Have a Different Root

In contrast to most European languages, English and German have a different root word for “Easter,” which is called “Ostern” in German. And the root word is a little less certain. 

One theory was suggested by the 7th-century scholar Bede. He stated that Easter was named after a pagan goddess of the...

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