Sense they are imaginary characters that have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas or Easter? Christmas is about the Birth of Christ and Easter is about the Resurrection, (I'm sure most of you know that). But I never understood the meaning of replacing Jesus with a regular joe and a rabbit. Is this one of man's attempts to cover up the real meanings of these special holidays?
2006-12-22 08:09:07 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
They made them up to sell more stuff.
2006-12-22 08:10:17 · answer #1 · answered by motorcitysmadman2 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Easter Bunny is a fictional giving rabbit which is said to leave gifts, usually Easter baskets for children at Easter (or at springtime). It originates in Western European cultures, where it is a hare rather than a rabbit. The Easter Bunny is an example of folklore mythology, which is in reality, fictional, but is sometimes presented to children as fact. Other prominent examples are Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.
Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary gift-giving icon who distributes presents to sleeping children and adults who have been "good" all year; traditionally during the night of December 24, Christmas Eve. The popular American form Santa Claus originated as a mispronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas, which is a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas).
2006-12-22 08:09:55 · answer #2 · answered by ndtaya 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Santa was created by the Coka-Cola company
for their ads.
yes, the true meaning of Easter and Christ!-mas
is about Jesus Christ. Jesus was born on Christmas(actually they put he's b-day on Christmas becuase we couldn't figure out he's real b-day) and on Easter Jesus died on the cross for us! i totally agree that the holidays were changed around too much just for greed, all these kids only look up to Christmas because of the presents that they recieve. On easter the happy bunny is the main figure.He was someone that gave gifts to people.These holidays are only about about recieveing to some people!:( But the real meaning is Christ!
2006-12-22 08:14:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Santa is not a regular Joe, unless you know a lot of people who give presents to people they've never met. I'm not talking about the fictitious character we know as Santa today, I'm referring to the guy who started it all. His name was Nicholas and he was an elderly man that would bring gifts to poor children in his town. They would leave their shoes outside on Christmas Eve (hence the "purpose" of hanging stockings today) and he would put a small gift, usually ones that he made himself, in their shoes. As for the Easter Bunny, I'm not too familiar with that one. I don't think either are an attempt to cover up anything, just a way to involve children in something they might not fully understand. It's too bad that most children these days don't even know the real story of holidays though, I would agree with you there. Blame it on lack of discipline and caring in a constantly evolving culture.
2006-12-22 08:14:58 · answer #4 · answered by phimu1223 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, since Christianity overlaid Christ's birth and resurrection on top of previously-existing Pagan celebrations (Yule, which is the rebirth of the Sun God, and Ostara (sound familiar?), a celebration of the fertility of spring - hence the rabbits and eggs) in order to help convert pagans to Christianity, shouldn't the question be reversed?
Shouldn't people be asking if replacing Mithra and Ostara with Jesus is one of man's attempts to cover up the real meanings of these special holidays?
2006-12-22 08:12:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do some reading...Santa came about from various legends http://www.annien.com/Holidays/Christmas/Legends/santa_legend.html as different countries had different santa-like figures in their folklore...
As for the easter bunny, it's a pagan symbol http://www.bunnyhollow.org/bunnyeastermoon/bunnyeastermoon.html as there was a pagan holiday in the spring before the xians put easter there (the goddess honored was Eostre or Ostara...sounds suspiciously like "easter" doesn't it?)
2006-12-22 08:16:13 · answer #6 · answered by . 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Easter Bunny
In pagan times, the "Easter hare" was no ordinary animal, but a sacred companion of the old goddess of spring, Eostre. The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season. Since long before Jesus Christ was born, parents told their children that the magic hare would bring them presents at the spring festival. The presents were often painted eggs, as these represented the new life starting at this time of year." Hares are animals which look like rabbits, but are larger and in many countries quite rare. In most places, the Easter rabbit (bunny) has replaced the Easter hare completely.
The bunny was first used as a symbol of Easter in 16th century Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings. The first edible Easter bunnies, made primarily of pastry and sugar, were produced in Germany as well, during the early 1800s. Also in Germany, children made nests of grass and placed them in their yards. They believed the Easter Bunny would fill these baskets with brightly decorated eggs during the night.
The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws" was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure" next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas Eve. The children believed that if they were good the "Oschter Haws" would lay a nest of colored eggs.
Thus the custom of making nests also spread to America. Children would build their nest in a secluded place in the home, the barn or the garden. Boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests . The use of elaborate Easter baskets would come later as the tradition of the Easter bunny spread through out the country.
How did the kindly Christian saint, good Bishop Nicholas, become a roly-poly red-suited American symbol for merry holiday festivity and commercial activity?
The first Europeans to arrive in the New World brought St. Nicholas. Vikings dedicated their cathedral to him in Greenland. On his first voyage, Columbus named a Haitian port for St. Nicholas on December 6, 1492. In Florida, Spaniards named an early settlement St. Nicholas Ferry, now known as Jacksonville. However, St. Nicholas had a difficult time during the 16th century Protestant Reformation which took a dim view of saints. Even though both reformers and counter-reformers tried to stamp out St. Nicholas-related customs, they had very little long-term success; only in England were the religious folk traditions of Christmas permanently altered. (It is ironic that fervent Puritan Christians began what turned into a trend to a more secular Christmas observance.) Because the common people so loved St. Nicholas, he survived on the European continent as people continued to place nuts, apples, and sweets in shoes left beside beds, on windowsills, or before the hearth.
2006-12-22 08:14:02 · answer #7 · answered by rltouhe 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Easter bunny means fertility, dont ask me why.....
Here are my thoughts...some pervert made up these characters to suck kids in , and take advantage of them, and make them believe lies till they get older and realize that their parents and the churchs have lied to them. It goes without saying that this sounds just like the Catholic church . Seeing how they Catholics were the ones who pushed the issue of Christmas in the supposed Christian Congregations to lure people in, and also it is most of the pervert Priests who molest Children, maybe this is why they invented Santa. It would be easier to involve children in there nasty means of making money for the church.
To move on......Jesus death was to be celebrated because he gave his life for many...there was never any mention of celebrating his birth in bible, no command to do so. His death was far more important and gave the world hope. I am sure Jesus never imagined people to use fun things to lure children into faith.
2006-12-22 08:25:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i assume by using fact Santa will deliver you greater toys and that they're going to all be wrapped up in present wrap. The Easter Bunny will purely deliver you a basket it particularly is in all possibility purely have been given candy in it. much cheap *** bunny.
2016-10-18 21:16:23 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thank you "destiny"... Seriously everyone. Christmas is bullshit, how can you all go spend so much f**king money every year. But, you can't go spend twenty minutes on wikipedia and find out that you coulda saved all that money, had you done that before and found out christmas didn't exist. You watch a million hours of t.v. a day, filled with "save with geico" "save with visa" all that bullshit, and you can't seriously spend twenty minutes reading. No paperwork, hassle free. And you can save hundreds every christmas. Wise up, idiots. Your digging yourselves a hole, a big one, with the sides slanting in.
2006-12-22 08:46:05 · answer #10 · answered by CaptainTruthful 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
shut up eddie, if it came from chriatianity, canches are it was stolen and changed from paganism..
Easter is an old germaic word for "eastre" and "ostara" the pagan holiday of the vernal equinox, celebrated with eggs for fertility and rabbits .
Santa came form multiple sources, not just christainity, St.nick was christianity, but other faiths contributed to its birth aswell.
Christianity is not the reason for everything ppl. learn that. The world does not revolve around that one faith.
2006-12-22 08:14:02 · answer #11 · answered by DrewM 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋