The Easter Bunny, in case you’ve been living in a cave, on Mars, with your fingers in your ears, is an anthropomorphic, egg-laying rabbit who sneaks into homes the night before Easter to deliver baskets full of colored eggs, toys and chocolate.
And just how did the Easter bunny come about.
If you go way back, though, the Easter Bunny starts to make a little sense. Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal. Plants return to life after winter dormancy and many animals mate and procreate. Many pagan cultures held spring festivals to celebrate this renewal of life and promote fertility. One of these festivals was in honor of Eostre or Eastre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility near and dear to the hearts of the pagans in Southwestern Germany. Eostre was closely linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility.
As Christianity spread, it was common for missionaries to practice some good salesmanship by placing pagan ideas and rituals within the context of the Christian faith and turning pagan festivals into Christian holidays (e.g. Christmas). Trying to get more pagans to turn their faith around to Christianity.
The Eostre festival occurred around the same time as the Christians’ celebration of Christ’s resurrection, so the two celebrations became one, and with the kind of blending that was going on among the cultures, it would seem only natural that the pagans would bring the hare and egg images with them into their new faith (the hare later became the more common rabbit).
The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children.
Oschter Haws came to America with Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 1700s, and evolved into the Easter Bunny as it became entrenched in American culture. Over time the bunny started bringing chocolate and toys in addition to eggs (the chocolate rabbit began with the Germans, too, when they started making Oschter Haws pastries in the 1800s).
The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children.
Oschter Haws came to America with Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 1700s, and evolved into the Easter Bunny as it became entrenched in American culture. Over time the bunny started bringing chocolate and toys in addition to eggs (the chocolate rabbit began with the Germans, too, when they started making Oschter Haws pastries in the 1800s).
END OF LESSON: TEST NEXT WEEK
Boys are snoring away – and they better continue for a long time since it is only 3:30 am. And I believe I better get myself to bed so I don’t scare the Easter Bunny away. And yes, we left carrots and water for him to refresh up before he goes hopping into another home. Be back soon with pictures.
Sorry for the history lesson. Just couldn't sleep and needed something to do.
Happy Easter to all!
Hey Mom,
ReplyDeleteTy and I were both kind of surprised that Easter was derived from the pegan belief. Very interesting.... i guess you learn something new everyday. I always thought that Easter came about to celebrate the ressurection of Christ.... I never knew it had anything to do with rebirth and fertility. But, it all makes sense. Im acually going to be starting some religious studies on many different religions in hopes of getting some answers to my questions. While I was designing Jaydens memorial, i realized that most of the Christian faith came from other beliefs, especially the pegan belief....which is rather odd... but i guess nothing is really suppose to make sense. Give me a call tomorrow during the afternoon sometime, or Ill call you. I love you, and I hope you guys all had a good Easter.... my Easter turned out to be extremely rough, due to a little 14mo old girl showing up at alices house, but by the end of the night "Maddy" was comming to me, wanting to be picked up, and it was really like Jayden sent her to be there with me, since this was the first holiday I was without him. He is around us all the time, in many differnt forms.... I guess once I sit down and thing about it, he hasnt forgotten about me, and he still comes to me and watches over me, so maybe I need to realize that maybe he really is okay..... because if he wasnt, I know I wouldnt have the "semi- at ease" feeling that he gives me. But ill talk to you more when I talk to you tomorrow. I love you and I hope you have a good day at work. TTYL
- Christine -