why are eggs and rabbits associated with easter?

Answer 1

The answer to ths question is not a simple one & has a history behind it & it involves symbolic christian beleifs from biblical times. do some reading up on the following link to learn more..

http://www.howstuffworks.com/easter.htm

Answer 2

The precise origin of the custom of colouring eggs is not known, although it too is ancient; Greeks to this day typically dye their Easter eggs red, the color of blood, in recognition of the renewal of life in springtime (and, later, the blood of the sacrificed Christ). Some also use the color green, in honor of the new foliage emerging after the long "dead" time of winter. Other colors, including the pastels (possibly symbolizing the rainbow, another seasonal sign of luck and hope), seem to have come along later. The act of eating coloured eggs at the Spring Equinox can be considered a form of sympathetic magic or prayer for increased fertility, and for a bountiful harvest later in the year.

German Protestants wanted to retain the Catholic custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, but did not want to introduce their children to the Catholic rite of fasting. Eggs were forbidden to Catholics during the fast of Lent, which was the reason for the abundance of eggs at Easter time.

The idea of an egg-laying rabbit came to the United States in the 18th century. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhase". "Hase" means "hare", not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a rabbit.

Only good children received gifts of colored eggs in the nests that they made in their caps and bonnets before Easter. Presumably, the "Oschter Haws" laid them when the children were not looking.

Recently, a neopagan legend has sprung up concerning the Easter Bunny. Though it is usually circulated as an ancient Pagan tradition, it does not appear before 1990; it is presented by a fictitious character, Mrs. Sharp, created by an author of inspirational aphorisms. (Sarah Ban Breathnach, 'Nostalgic Suggestions for Re-Creating the Family Celebrations and Seasonal Pastimes of the Victorian Home'). It reached a far wider audience when in 2002 a version of the story, The Coming of Eostre, was published in the children's magazine Cricket.

According to the story, the goddess Eostre found a wounded bird in the snow. To help the little bird survive the winter, she transformed it into a rabbit, but the transformation was incomplete and the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. In thanks for its life being saved, the rabbit took the eggs and decorated them and left them as gifts for Eostre.

This story is deemed fakelore by critics, who point out that it has never appeared in any historical account of pagan celebrations, nor in any attempt to reconstruct the same by folklorists such as Grimm. There is also no historical evidence linking Ostara to the hare or rabbit.


This is the most I could find to explain this question. I hope it helps you a little.

Answer 3

First off lets get one thing clear, Easter is not nor has ever been about Christ or Christianity. The Bible never lays out a celebration for Easter. Easter is the proper pronunciation of Ishtar, a fertility goddess. This was an ancient pagan celebration in spring. I think if you consider the fertility goddess Ishtar(Easter) and the fertility rites of spring you will see where eggs and rabbits come in. The Roman church renamed this celebration to get the pagans to "convert" I wouldn't say they converted , just kept doing the same thing but calling it something different.

Answer 4

Because the holiday we know as Easter is actually the
fertility festival of Ishtar, an ancient Babylonian goddess,
whose symbols are the rabbit (for its legendary fertility) and the egg.....When Christianity became the Roman state
religion in the 4th century, many pagan festivals were
"converted" into Christian holidays, even tho they have
no basis in the Bible.

Answer 5

Way back a group called the Pagans had a festival called EASTRE""Which was the same day as the ressurection of Jesus Christ..The easter bunny is not just a modern invention.
The goddess Eastre was worshipped by The Anglo saxons throgh her earthly symbol the Rabbit"".The Germans brought the sumbol of the easter bunny to America which was ignored until after the civil war,,then we used it as a symbol..
The easter EGG was was custom to exchange between Christians in the springtime centuries ago..And since it was spring they were wrapped in a gold leaf or bolied and colored brightly,,to symbolize spring and Easter..So it was eastre>>>>then converted to EASTER..

Answer 6

eggs and rabbits (more so baby bunnies) are associated with Easter because it is closely timed to the pagan holiday of spring equinox. The spring equinox is a celebration of life after a long dormant state (i.e. the resurection of christ as being "born" again and winter making almost everything look dead) In the spring everything "comes back to life" just as Jesus did so baby animals are a testament to that aspect. Also they are just so cute and so abundant in the spring.

Answer 7

Goes back to pagan traditions. Look it up in the encyclopedia. Rabbits and eggs have nothing to do with the celebration of Christ's death. actually, if you look up all the holidays, you'll see that they are all tied up with pagan traditions. Christmas especially included. But don't take my word for it, like I said, look it up and you'll see for yourself. It should make you think twice about celebrating them. What amazes me is that a lot more people know that than you'd think and they do it anyway. Kinda sad really when we know how Jehovah God felt about the pagans and their "worship".

Answer 8

Easter was origionally a celebration of spring and fertility. what animal represents fertility better than a rabbit.

Answer 9

I think the Jews crucified a rabbit ,and threw eggs at it or something like that. It's all in the bible. Somewhere near the back I think.

Answer 10

Because it is spring and those are symbols of spring time! You see alot of rabbits come out in the spring and chicks hatching (thats when alot of babies are born in the wild)