Hey all, odd question that normal Google-Fu seems to be failing at. Is there ANY consensus from people who actually study this stuff as to where the "Easter" holiday originated from?
The Wiki seems to have some wiggle language "modern Easter" and cross links to pages discussing per-Christian traditions but densest come out and say one way or the other. Google links to crazy christian or crazy pagan blogs, pages, etc. None of which give me much confidence as to anyone's objectivity or bounds in reality.
There has to be some poor soul of a grad student here without an agenda who has a somewhat more relevant and research answer.
Easter is absolutely a Christian holiday and does not pre-date Christianity (I mean, it would be weird if it did since it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus). When people question a pagan origin to the holiday, they're mostly misunderstanding. Yes the modern conception of Easter involves certain symbols - the rabbit, the egg - that have roots in traditions earlier than Christianity in symbolizing the rebirth and renewed fertility of the spring. But wearing a shirt made in China does not mean you're Chinese. Borrowing and incorporating symbols with older roots does not negate the Christianity of the holiday.
To indulge in a slight tangent... While there is little in the practice of Easter that ties it to pagans, there is definitely a relationship between Easter and Passover. Early Christians celebrated Easter either on Passover or the Sunday after, until one holiday usurped the other. But again just because Easter has its roots in Passover doesn't mean that it pre-dates Christianity. Religions are dynamic, as much as some people like to claim to do things traditionally, traditions are always new at some point and practices change.
Bradshaw and Hoffman's Passover and Easter: Origin and History to Modern Times is partly available on google books if you're interested in how early Christians celebrated the holiday.