Easter and the Feast of Yhyakh: the Way of the Sacrifice from the Spirit-Beast to the God-Man
The author considers the evolution of sacrifices as a continuous process, going from deep antiquity to modern times. The idea of sacrificing the totem beast leads to the idea of a human sacrifice. After the birth of developed cults, the bloody sacrifices of the ancient hunters were replaced by products of cattle breeding and farming - milk and wine. The author proves the thesis that bloody sacrifices of wild animals (in particular, hoofed animals) could be primary, and sacrifices from among domestic animals - secondary. Zoomorphic spirits assumed anthropomorphic appearance, which, perhaps, later led to human sacrifices. Thus, Christ himself called himself the Easter, offered as a sacrifice to God instead of lamb. However, its place was formerly occupied by a wild deer, which served as a symbol of the sun. Therefore, Yhyakh and Easter, which passed on the full moon days, having passed the same way of evolution, transformed into modern rituals of pastoralists and farmers, for whom the idea of sacrificing the priest is purely symbolic.