The Origins of the Easter Rabbit
78Easter is Both a Religious and a Secular Holiday
Like Christmas, Easter is a holiday that began as a Christian religious holiday and, over time evolved into a combination religious and secular holiday.
Actually, many of the secular traditions associated with Easter are not only very old but actually pre-date Christianity. This should not be surprising for two reasons. First, religious holidays in most religious traditions, including Christianity, recognize that people are both body and spirit and therefore seek to nourish both body and spirit by having the holiday include a combination of worship and recreation such as feasting, dancing, singing, etc. Secondly, much of the success of the early Christian Church in converting the known Western world was due to the fact that they adapted to local customs and traditions by absorbing the existing culture and traditions into Christianity, keeping most of the secular aspects of traditions and substituting Christian religious beliefs and symbols for the beliefs and symbols of the previous religion.
It is an Old German Tradition
Easter is no exception. Since ancient times, spring has been a time of renewal that has been celebrated by ancient societies. Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Christ which took place in the spring time which paralleled ancient celebrations of the renewal of spring. While the spiritual focus of these ancient rites of spring shifted from the deities of the past to Christ and the message of Christianity, secular aspects of the celebration remained intact. In fact, the very name of this holiday comes from the old Saxon goddess Ostara (also spelled Eostre or Eastre) who was the goddess of spring and fertility who was celebrated at the time of the Vernal or Spring Equinox. While the focus of the celebration shifted from Ostara to Christ and the date pushed back to the end of March or April (see my Hub entitled Why the Date of Easter Changes Each Year) the name Eastre stuck and eventually evolved into Easter.
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Easter
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The Night Before Easter
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Where Are Baby's Easter Eggs?: A Lift-the-Flap Book
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Easter Bugs: A Springtime Pop-up by David A Carter
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The Easter Rabbit (or Easter Bunny) is one of these traditions. As a goddess of spring and fertility, Ostara was closely associated with hares and eggs both of which bring to mind fertility. Hares, like rabbits, are prolific breeders and from eggs, birds hatch. The hare is a very close cousins of the rabbit and is common in Europe and many parts of the United States (the Jack Rabbit is a hare). The difference between hares and rabbits are the fact that hares tend to be somewhat larger, they give birth to young who have fur and whose eyes are open from birth and nest in shallow indentations above ground. Rabbits, on the other hand, are smaller, their offspring are born hairless and with eyes shut for the first few days of their lives, and they live in underground burrows.
While the the goddess Ostara faded into the background and was forgotten except for the holiday taking her name, her symbols, hares and eggs, became very closely associated with Easter. By the time of the discovery of America the tradition of the Osterhase or Easter Hare, which left eggs for for good children on Easter morning was well established in Germany and other northern European countries. When Germans began emigrating to the British North American colonies, especially Pennsylvania, before the American Revolution they brought with them the tradition of the Osterhase or Easter Hare and its habit of leaving eggs for children on Easter morning. In time the hare changed to a rabbit, the name which most Americans use to refer to both rabbits and hares. While many Americans continue to refer to the hare or rabbit as the Easter Rabbit, in the twentieth century the image and name underwent a further change from a rabbit to a lovable little bunny which is a term usually used to describe a young rabbit.
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Check Out My Other Easter Season Hubs
- Easter Eggs
Since ancient times, eggs have always been a symbol of life and fertility, with spring as the time when most birds in the wild lay eggs from which, a few weeks later with new little birds hatch. It is no... - Why the Date of Easter Changes Each Year
Why does the date of Easter vary from year to year? The answer to this has to do with history and tradition. If you recall, Jesus and his disciples were Jewish and, as Jews, celebrated the... - Eggs and Easter
In a previous Hub entitled Easter Eggs I described some of the traditions and customs associated with eggs and Easter. However, there is much more to the story about the links between eggs and Easter and the... - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
According to the Bible, Christ was taken outside Jerusalem to a hill known as Golgotha, or Mt. Calvary as it is referred to now days, and put to death by crucification He was then buried in a nearby burial... - Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the sixth Sunday in Lent and the Sunday before Easter. It is celebrated in all major Christian churches - Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. In popular parlance it is called Palm Sunday... - The Garden of Gethsemane - A Spiritual Oasis in Tucson
Visitors traveling along Interstate 10 between Atlanta and Los Angeles can obtain a spiritual recharge while passing through Tucson, Arizona, if they pause take the Congress St. west exit off of... - Passion Sunday
Passion Sunday is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and the Sunday before Easter. This is the Sunday on which palms are distributed to the congregation in most Christian churches and, because of the...
Easter in the News
- Traditional Anglicans hope for Easter reunionNational Catholic Reporter2 hours ago
OTTAWA -- The primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion said he hopes churches take action to enter into full communion with the Catholic church before Easter.
- Nor'easter To Develop Along CoastWITN 7 North Carolina1 second ago
The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida will develop into a nor'easter and produce heavy rainfall and gusty winds across eastern North Carolina.
- Nor'easter headed our wayWAVY TV 10 Portsmouth10 hours ago
A Nor'easter is headed our way starting Tuesday night and continuing through Friday.
- Gus against Easter Road tieEdinburgh Evening News14 hours ago
ST MIRREN manager Gus MacPherson wants semi-final redemption against Hearts in the Co-operative Insurance Cup – but insists the game must not be played at Easter Road.
- Buddies say Easter Road a 'ridiculous' idea for semiThe Scotsman: Sport26 hours ago
HEARTS and St Mirren should learn the venue for their Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final today – and the Paisley club will not be happy if Easter Road is given the nod.
- "Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies" Coming to DVDToon Zone24 hours ago
The 1977 Looney Tunes television special "Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies" (aka "Bugs Bunny's Easter Special") comes to DVD on 2/16/09 . The price will be $14.97 . The... [read more]
- Portsmouth gets ready for nor'easterWAVY TV 10 Portsmouth2 hours ago
The summer storm that flooded High Street in August was a storm like Downtown Portsmouth had not seen in many years. So much rain fell so quickly, rising flood waters stranded cars and swamped shops and restaurants downtown.
- Festival de `chefs' a beneficio de programas de educación especialEl Nuevo Herald1 second ago
Desde hace cuatro años Jessica asiste a diario, de 8:30 a.m. a 2 p.m., a uno de los programas de South Florida Culinary Arts & Special Education de Easter Seals, donde además destrezas en la cocina aprende a mejorar sus habilidades sociales y emocionales.
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bobmnu says:
3 years ago
Another good page.