It is common knowledge that the hare does not lay eggs, and consequently is probably not responsible for the brightly colored ones we find in our nests every year at Easter time. So where do the stories of the Easter Bunny come from, and why are eggs, of all things, given away at Easter? We’ll give you a brief rundown of the Easter wonders…. Easter is considered the oldest feast of the Christian churches. Originally, this festival commemorated the death of Jesus Christ, and not his resurrection. It is generally believed that the word Easter was derived from the Germanic goddess of spring “Ostara”. More likely, it is derived from the Germanic word “ostar”, which means eastward, i.e. toward the rising sun.
Master lamp
Explanations of how the Easter Bunny came into play are many. We will offer only a small selection here:
- The spring goddess Ostara was assigned as a sacred animal a rabbit
- In ancient Byzantium, the hare was considered an animal symbol of Jesus Christ
- The hare stands for fertility due to its many young
- In the past, debtors paid on Maundy Thursday the interest to your creditors, this could be paid in eggs or in hares
- Adults told children that the hare brings the eggs, as this is more nimble and cute than hens and therefore more believable
Whether the history of the hare is really due to the lack of reasoning adults or Christian symbolism, we will not be able to unravel here.
…And the Easter egg?
Several approaches exist here as well:
- The egg was considered, like the hare, as a means of payment.
- Eggs stand as a symbol of life, the beginning of life, purity, fertility and resurrection
- Eggs were placed in the graves of the dead because, like tombs, they keep something hidden. Here the reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ is clear
- The gift of an egg was considered a gift of love
We hope you enjoyed our little excursion into Easter traditions. Finally, the question remains to be answered, which came first: chicken or egg, rabbit or chicken, eggs or Easter….
