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The holiday is a merging of pagan and Christian stuff. The name comes from Ishtar, the Babylonian Mother of Heaven and nature/fertility goddess. In ancient mythology she had a son (or lover, in some versions) named Tamuz, who was the sun god. One day Tamuz was out hunting and was killed by a wild boar. Ishtar then went down to the underworld to try to get him back. The ruler of the underworld said he could go back to the upper realms for half the year, but he must return to the underworld for the other half. Thus, the ancient peoples believed that spring and summer marked the time when Ishtar and Tammuz were out (longer days, nature flourishing), and fall and winter marked the time that Tammuz had to go back to the underworld and Ishtar went to get him (short days). That is why in the winter women would mourn for Tammuz. We see this in Ezekiel 8:14:

Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.

And in spring, people would celebrate the return of Ishtar and Tammuz around the time of the Spring equinox. That is why the celebration of Easter is based on the timing of the equinox and not based on when Passover happens. Also, many things associated with Easter have very pagan roots. The eggs and bunnies were fertility symbols associated with Ishtar, and ham is traditionally eaten at Easter to remember the boar that had killed Tammuz. God does not like religious syncretism, the mixing of pagan stuff with His worship.

In Deuteronomy 12 He says:

The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” 31 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates.