While decorating the house for Easter, my 4 yr. old son asked me why the bunny brings eggs if he is a bunny - any clue why we celebrate the holiday this way or how this tradition was started? I hate to be stumped by a 4 yr. old! Thank you!
2007-04-06 05:24:15 · 5 answers · asked by FlossChick 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Easter
Rabbits and eggs are both symbols of the fertility goddess Eostre/Ishtar/Ostara. Her symbol is also the moon, in which some cultures see a rabbit instead of a face. Eggs also symbolize the moon and are the ultimate symbol of creation and new life. The basket is a symbol of the womb in which this new life is carried.
The feast day is pagan and was widely celebrated way before the time of Jesus. Like pretty much all holidays, it was adopted by Christians to help get more converts. However, since the point is to celebrate new life and the hope of continuance, Christian symbols of a Resurrection day and the old pagan symbols mean the same thing. Just like Christmas, we are all celebrating the same thing, just using different symbols.
2007-04-06 06:43:52 · answer #1 · answered by KC 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Easter Bunny has a long history. It was brought to America from Germany by immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area. It has become an integral part of the American Easter tradition and has to a lesser degree been accepted in the UK.
The Easter Bunny is usually considered to be a benevolent, vaguely supernatural creature that brings gifts to good boys and girls. Today these gifts are usually in the form of chocolate Easter eggs.
The origin of the Easter Bunny probably goes back to the festival's connection with the pagan goddess Eostre. Eostre (sometimes spelt Oestre) was a fertility goddess from whom we derive the word "oestrogen" and she is closely associated with fertility symbols such as eggs. The rabbit is known as a highly fertile creature and hence an obvious choice for Easter symbolism.
In fact the use of a rabbit is probably a mistake - the Easter "bunny" is more likely to be a hare, since it is the hare that is usually considered the sacred creature of Eostre. Hares have been considered sacred by many cultures including the ancient Egyptians who believed them to watch the moon during the night. Although hares and rabbits are related they are most definitely different creatures, as a certain Bugs keeps reminding us!
2007-04-09 05:27:02 · answer #2 · answered by J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Easter "chicken" is too tired after laying all the eggs. The rabbit picks the eggs up from her, paints them, and then passes them out. She lays all the eggs for the bunny because they are good friends,
2007-04-06 23:33:06 · answer #3 · answered by Pat C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well I'm not sure about that but we have bunny's and chick's on Easter because Heaven is new life! God ascended into Heaven and came back to earth! The bunny's and chick's are a assemble of new life!
Hope that helped!
2007-04-06 13:05:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Certain spieces of rabbits lay colored eggs due to their high glucose levels and place them in baskets for safe keeping.
2007-04-06 13:21:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋