Based on no good evidence, the church decided that Christ was crucified in spring

Re letter from Rev Coates ('˜Easter shows that Christianity's obituary might be written too soon,' March 30):
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Just as Christmas was created by appropriating and combining both the ancient pagan midwinter festival of Yule and the Roman one of Saturnalia, the Christian Church, based on no credible historical evidence whatsoever decided that Christ was crucified in the spring. In its usual crafty way the church reckoned that folk would respond better to the new festival if it was around the time of year they’d be having a knees up anyway.

And why call it Easter?

Something to do with Jesus in the east?

Or was it that spring saw the festival of Eostre the goddess of fertility who was worshiped in spring with some particularly determined hochmanagndy leading to a major surge in births the following January?

Davy Wight, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim