According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs.
Despite Easter's association with eggs as a symbol of new life and the resurrection, the cute critter symbol of Easter being a bunny and not a chicken isn't an accident. The thinking behind the tradition was simply that rabbits reproduce a lot, so as a symbol representing new life, rabbits took the edge over chickens.
Easter is a celebration that Jesus is alive and He can give us new life with God. Since rabbits remind people of new life and Easter is about Jesus coming back to life, people sometimes use bunnies as part of their Easter celebrations.
According to legend, the Easter Bunny would visit the evening before Easter. And a common Easter tradition for German children at that time was to leave a carrot out for the Easter bunny. Like the egg, the bunny was also a symbol of fertility for the pre-Christians.
Eggs represent new life and rebirth, and it's thought that this ancient custom became a part of Easter celebrations. In the medieval period, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent (the 40 days before Easter) so on Easter Sunday, tucking into an egg was a real treat!
Easter traditions include sunrise services or late-night vigils, exclamations and exchanges of Paschal greetings, flowering the cross, the wearing of Easter bonnets by women, clipping the church, and the decoration and the communal breaking of Easter eggs (a symbol of the empty tomb).
The chocolate egg started as a pagan symbol of fertility and spring and developed into a representation of Christ's resurrection. To this day, it still holds this meaning for a variety of people from different backgrounds across the country.
The colour red is used to symbolise life and victory and the eggs themselves symbolise the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditionally the eggs are dyed on Holy Thursday in preparation for a feast on Easter Sunday.
The rabbit symbolizes fertility, luck, and creativity. Rabbits also symbolize compassion and intuition. The rabbit is a popular symbol in many cultures around the world. Often associated with springtime and new beginnings, these happy critters are a reminder that life is full of possibility.
Why do we hide eggs at Easter? In many pre-Christian societies eggs held associations with spring and new life. Early Christians adapted these beliefs, making the egg a symbol of the resurrection and the empty shell a metaphor for Jesus' tomb.
The goddess of spring, rebirth, and fertility, her icon was the rabbit, thanks to its ability to quickly procreate. Some historians believe Christians named Easter after Eostra as a way of encouraging conversion, so along with the pagan moniker came the symbol of the bunny.
A good way in: "The Easter Bunny is a lot like other things you know aren't real, but used to believe in — like the monster under the bed." Then assure your child that this won't change your family's traditions (e.g., there will still be Easter baskets!) and suggest new ways your kid can celebrate — maybe by hiding ...
The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring. The only reference to this goddess comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, a British monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth century.
As for how the character of the Easter Bunny made its way to America, History.com reports that it was first introduced in the 1700s by German immigrants to Pennsylvania, who reportedly brought over their tradition of an egg-laying hare named "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws" from the Old Country.
With the festive season upon us, it's difficult to go anywhere without seeing rabbits and eggs. Whether religious or not, Easter is a joy for all, except perhaps bunny rabbits. A chocolate bunny or a fluffy bunny?
The rabbit has pre-Christian roots associated with fertility, new life, and spring. However, early Christians weaved the pagan symbolism of the rabbit into their Christian traditions to make the teachings of Jesus Christ more amenable to those outside of the faith.
Although its meaning is apparently not explained in contemporary written sources from any of the medieval cultures where it is found, it is thought to have a range of symbolic or mystical associations with fertility and the lunar cycle. When used in Christian churches, it is presumed to be a symbol of the Trinity.
a person who is in a hurry and complaining of being late, like the White Rabbit character in the children's story 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll. He was late, damnably late!
As long as you use food-safe dyes or food coloring in your decorating, the coloring itself will pose no health risks. If you are treating your dyed eggs just like normal hard-boiled eggs, putting them in the fridge after dyeing and then using them for egg salad, you're good to go.
On Good Friday at exactly midday, traditionalists crack an egg in a bowl of water and collect the white. This is then left in the sun and, once dried, is said to form into a shape that will hint to your future. This may take the appearance of a foetus for children, a ship for travel, or a church for marriage.
Also, on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays during Lent, adult Catholics over the age of 14 abstain from eating meat. During these days, it is not acceptable to eat lamb, chicken, beef, pork, ham, deer and most other meats. However, eggs, milk, fish, grains, and fruits and vegetables are all allowed.
The holiday of Easter, much like Christmas, has roots in both Christianity and ancient pagan culture. Though it is mostly considered a religious holiday, many of our modern traditions hail from Easter's pagan roots. Easter actually originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox.
Good Friday is called "good" because of the religious significance of the day for Christians, who believe that Jesus's death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice for humanity's sins.
People might head to Mass at their local church, gather for a meal with family, or catch up with friends. A common tradition for children (but you can enjoy it, too!) involves embarking on hunts in the park or backyards to find chocolate eggs delivered by the mythical Easter bunny or bilby.