Do you know the origins of the Easter Bunny???
The Easter Bunny actually started in pagan tradition...
worshipping the rabbit as a symbol of the goddess Eostre...
she was the goddess of fertility and springtime.
An interesting twist to this is that the hare was popular in medieval church art...
the belief at this time was that the hare was a hermaphrodite and
could reproduce without losing it's virginity,
which led to an association with the Virgin Mary.
Additionally, there is a loose association to the Holy Trinity
in that often you'll find a three hares motif,
which represents the interlocking triangle of the Trinity.
In England, this motif is often in a prominent place adding to
the significance of the hare...
The Easter Egg....
was also a symbolic representation of fertility and birth...
it is thought that the decoration of Easter Eggs comes from
boiling eggs with flowers, which changes the color...
The Eastern Orthodox church traditionally colors
Easter Eggs bright red, in recognition of the blood
sacrificed by Jesus the Christ.
For some, green was used to symbolize new foliage
following the end of Winter...and the birth of Spring...
Eggs were also forbidden to Catholics during Lent,
which is why there is an abundance of eggs at Easter.
German immigrants brought the tradition of the egg-laying bunny to the US
in the 18th Century.
In this tradition, only good children received colored eggs in the baskets~~~
Were you a good boy or girl this Easter???
Now...as to the more important tradition of Easter....
the chocolate Easter Egg....
As far as I'm concerned that tradition
begins and ends with Mary See's
chocolate Easter egg!!!
Happy Easter!!!
sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Bunny
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/origin-of-the-easter-bunny-faq.htm
