Rabbits are famous for the Easter festival, though not for any direct connection. Their pictures are posted online on various social media to celebrate this Christian festival. This festival is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death on Crucifix.
Contents
What is the myth regarding bunnies and Easter?
It is said that rabbits leave eggs in the garden where the program is set. After the party, the guests, or mostly the kids start finding the eggs that are left by the bunnies. These are not real eggs but eggs made from the chocolates which are sold in the shops during this time of the year.
The theory behind this practice is a pagan myth. The Festival of Eostre, who is the goddess of fertility, is symbolized by a rabbit. Rabbit is chosen as the symbol of fertility because of their abundant ability of breeding. Among all the animal rabbits are famous for their energetic breeding strength.
Eggs are representative of life and new life is welcomed by decorating the eggs. It has been since the 13th century when the Pope of the churches made a rule that the eggs would not be eaten during the period of Lent and again those can be eaten during the period of Easter.
As the eggs could be eaten after a long gap during Easter, Russian aristocrats started giving the eggs as gifts which were decorated and sometimes even encrusted with jewels.
But that has a long way to go before the bunnies were to deliver eggs to America. The German immigrants who started visiting and living in America in Pennsylvania came with their tradition of egg-bearing rabbits. These rabbits had the special name called Oschter Haws.
This custom of rabbits delivering eggs during Easter became soon famous in the whole country and the item was no anymore only confined to eggs. Now the chocolates and other different kinds of candies were decorated and distributed during Easter in the name of Easter bunnies.
Why is Easter symbolized by a rabbit?
There is no exact reason found why rabbits and not other creatures are connected with the celebration of Easter. Only rabbits have this immense ability of procreation and thus they can be the perfect symbol of the celebration of fertility, which is Easter.
Rabbits give birth to a whole bunch of babies at one time and they get adults fairly soon. They also produce babies quite frequently and thus they can be idolized for their breeding and fertility. The ability to create new life is essential for the Easter festival as it takes place in the spring season which is the time when the Earth becomes fertile too.
Thus associating rabbits with the Easter festival is quite justified and natural. It is believed that the Easter bunnies lay their eggs, decorate them, and hid them in the garden where the kids of the house go and find them during the party. The finding of the eggs is a way of symbolizing finding new life from the womb of earth, which is an essential part of the Easter festival.
What does the Easter egg have to do with Jesus?
Eggs are always a symbol of fertility. When in Christianity it becomes the time of new life’s beginning. Easter or Eastertide is the celebration of the Earth’s fertility which is celebrated on the occasion of the resurrection of Jesus.
The celebration of Eastertide is a way of symbolizing the way Jesus came out of the empty tomb and became alive. Here the egg shells are decorated to symbolize the tomb of Jesus as he has come out of it.
Why there are carrots left on the ground for the rabbits during Easter?
As eggs are kept by the adults in baskets, symbolizing the nest of the birds or rabbit shelter scattered in the ground, the kids leave some carrots for the rabbits. It is kind of a thanking gesture for the rabbits. As the rabbits do so much activity they are praised and rewarded for their job by leaving some carrots on the ground.
However, the whole thing is a myth and there is no reason to believe that the rabbits come to deliver chocolate-made Easter eggs in the baskets.
From where does the character of Easter Bunny come about?
Easter Bunnies were originally called Osterhase or egg lying bunnies. This is a German word and quite justifiably, the concept of this egg-laying rabbit is particularly German idea. In the 1700s the German people came up with this idea of bunnies related to the Easter Festival and it gradually spread widely in America as well.
Why Easter is connected with bunnies and eggs?
As per the pagan tradition, the eggs and bunnies are symbols of rebirth and spring. The Christian belief in rebirth is associated with the holiday of Easter when the Earth gets ready for the fertile season. The myth of Jesus getting resurrected is also connected with this day of Easter. These two traditions have merged and rabbits have become the symbol of fertility.
What is the name of the Easter rabbit?
The name of the Easter rabbit is Peter Cottontail. Actually, the rabbits in the folklore or myth are Peter, and most of the time they were called Peter rabbits. The Easter rabbits are named this way and this is according to the German Lutheran tradition. The name came from the writer Beatrix Potter who had a rabbit in his childhood, and he used to call it Peter Piper.
Is the Easter bunny male or female?
The mythical Easter bunny is female as it can lay eggs and is the symbol of fertility. Though male rabbits can be fertile too, the direct proof of the Easter bunny becoming female is that, the eggs are proof of fertility and the eggs are taken care of by the mother creature and not the father one.
Another point is to remember the date of Easter accurately is precisely a female trait and not a male one, which is done by the bunnies when they come and hide their eggs in the garden.
More:
Can A Rabbit Die From Eating Too Much?
