A Brief Look at the History of the Easter Bunny

Easter is a religious holiday second only to Christmas which commemorates the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven. Easter is an occasion that Christians have celebrated for hundreds of years. Colored eggs and bunnies have come to be associated with this holiday and many people wonder why. After all, what do the Easter bunny and eggs have to do with the ascension of Christ?

To learn how this relationship came about, you have to travel way back in time. Spring has always been a time of celebration in many religions, because winter is over and life is starting to appear again. Baby animals are born and crops start growing during this time. Even ancient people with pagan beliefs celebrated the coming of spring. In the Saxon culture, a fertility goddess called Eastre was given her own festival. Rabbits figured prominently in the celebration, because they are notoriously fertile and a perfect symbol of the desire for new life.

In the 2nd century A.D., there were many missionaries who were trying to convert the pagan peoples to Christianity. These missionaries adapted certain festivals and customs into Christian holidays in order to attract pagans to their religion. Since the festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of the year as the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, it was only natural that the two be combined into one holiday which included the sacred rabbit.

Eastre was changed to Easter over the years. The rabbit and the lamb came to symbolize innocent creatures that were sacrificed to commemorate the sacrifice Christ made for man.

As we know it today, you would find the origins of the Easter bunny in 1500s Germany. If children were good during this time, they believed they would receive a set of colored eggs from a magical rabbit. This tradition was brought to the new world in the 1700s by the Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants.

Eggs have been considered a sign of rebirth since the early years A.D.. In the 600s, the then-Pope Gregory the Great put a ban on eating eggs during the period of Lent which is the 40 days immediately preceding Easter. People considered them a special treat when Easter arrived and they could consume eggs again. Although some guidelines of old are no longer followed, we still make use of decorated eggs as part of Easter celebrations. Doc No.azlcssaeh-sdgfhkl

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