Why do we hide eggs on easter when rabbits don't lay eggs? and what does this have to do with Jesus Christ? Where did this start? What caused this to start? ahh! help.
2007-07-30 03:18:25 · 4 answers · asked by Je Suis Femme 3 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.
2007-07-30 05:13:52 · answer #1 · answered by KC 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As others have said, both are fertility symbols. Rabbits are known for having a lot of sex, and eggs are, of course, where babies come from. The fact that it is celebrated in spring is also an ode to rebirth.
The early Christian church absorbed a lot of pagan rituals and practices in order to make it easier to convert people. Basically, the more they made their religion appear like the one that others already practiced, the easier it was to get more converts.
2007-07-30 23:50:27 · answer #2 · answered by ceddog86 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fertility. The date of Easter was pretty much based around old pagan fertility rituals which the church incorporated in trying to convert the locals.
Look up Eostre, the goddess of Spring. Whether or not she was inventede by Bede, the fact is that the ritauls associated with easter do seem to signify that ancient fertility practices included bunnies and eggs, obvious fertility fetishes.
2007-07-30 10:23:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits and eggs are symbols of fertility, and spring was always considered by ancient religions as the time of birth and renewal. Nothing to do with Christianity, except that early Christians found it difficult to stop "pagans" from celebrating their own festivals. So they "piggy-backed" onto those festivals, hoping to obscure their original meanings.
2007-07-30 10:32:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋