Where the Easter Bunny came from....

It’s Easter and I was always curious about where the tradition of the Easter Bunny actually came from and what a rabbit really has to do with Easter. Here’s what I found out. First of all, for those who don’t really know what Easter is all about, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

The word Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. The goddess Eastre’s symbol was the rabbit, which was known as a symbol of fertility, because rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring.

Now, how the Easter Bunny tradition really began isn’t entirely clear. It is thought that Germans were the first to associate a bunny with Easter. In 16th century literature, there are accounts of a bunny that, each spring, would reward the good kids with eggs. The first edible Easter Bunnies, made out of pastry and sugar, were made in Germany during the early 1800s.

The tradition of the Easter Bunny appears to have been introduced in the United States by German immigrants, who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. The arrival of what the Germans referred to as the “Osterhase” was considered “childhood’s greatest pleasure”, next to a visit from “Christkindl” or “Santa Claus” on Christmas Eve, who also deliver presents as you all know.

 

 

In legend, the Easter Bunny brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes even toys to the home of the children who had been good throughout the year. Way back, the children would build their own nests in a hidden place at home, in the garden or in the barn, the night before Easter Sunday, hoping the Easter Bunny would find it and fill it with eggs and candy. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests. Today, the tradition of the Easter egg hunt is much more common, meaning the Easter Bunny hides the baskets and eggs somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find them when they wake up in the morning.

Over the past 200 years, the Easter Bunny has become the most commercially recognized symbol of Easter. This might be a little bit of a problem in my opinion, because people, especially kids, forget that Easter is not only about the Easter Bunny but actually about the resurrection of Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, I think the tradition of having an Easter Bunny hide candy and presents is awesome, but we shouldn’t forget that this is not the only thing that Easter is about...




  Anyway, Happy Easter to everyone and I hope you’ve all been good and the Easter Bunny will leave a nice basket for you!!! ;)