The Easter Bunny makes us think of another fantastic gift-giver who is somewhat similar to Santa Claus: a kind giver of presents for deserving kids and the main character in staged holiday photos with a somewhat hazy backstory.

Maybe your child is starting to ask questions, and you want to be prepared to respond to them. Alternatively, perhaps you’re thinking if the Easter Bunny has a sinister past. Ultimately, while Easter baskets and lovely bunny cakes are certainly enjoyable, they don’t contribute to the reason Christians celebrate Easter Sunday. For whatever reason you arrived here, you’re in the correct spot since we’ve got the answers of the Easter Bunny and its folklore.

The History of the Easter Bunny

The Bible doesn’t mention a mythological hare that brings eggs to children on the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, as Christians are likely already aware. So why has a rabbit come to play such a significant role in one of Christianity’s most significant rebirth and renewal celebrations? Time reports that one idea links the emblem of the rabbit to the ancient pagan celebration of Eostre, which worshipped the goddess of fertility and spring and on which many of our Easter customs are based. Because of their high rate of reproduction, rabbits have long been associated with fertility, and this was the case with the goddess’ animal symbol—the rabbit.

According to History.com, German immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s carried with them their custom of an egg-laying hare known as “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws” from the Old Country, which is how the Easter Bunny came to be in America. According to legend, good children would get colourful eggs from the bunny as a present. As a result, children would build nests where the bunny could deposit his eggs and occasionally even put out carrots in case the hare became hungry. The practice eventually became commonplace in America and became an Easter rite. The legendary rabbit began delivering more than simply eggs throughout time; he also started delivering toys and sweets. One trip to the grocery store this year will tell you that Easter baskets have only become more and more complex over the years.

Easter Bunny and Jesus

The Easter Bunny has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on Easter Sunday, and is not mentioned in the Bible. Throughout the ages, the celebration of the festival has incorporated eggs, rabbits, and hares as universal symbols of spring and rebirth.

However, there are certain similarities between these symbols and Christian art and customs. According to Scientific American, there is a long-standing association between rabbits and hares and Jesus’ mother, Mary. For example, Mary is seen with a white rabbit by her side in Italian artist Titian’s 16th-century painting “The Madonna of the Rabbit.”

Easter Bunny Or Pagan

According to a well-known legend, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre (sometimes known as the Germanic goddess Ostara, depending on the version), changed a bird into a hare, and the appreciative hare responded by depositing vibrant eggs.

In his paper “Ostara and the Hare,” Stephen Winick, PhD, of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Centre, deftly dissects the myth by following the legend’s historical origins. The German professor and philologist Adolf Holtzmann pondered in 1874, “The Easter Hare is inexplicable to me, but probably the hare was the sacred animal of Ostara; just as there is a hare on the statue of [the Celtic goddess] Abnoba,” and later said, “the hare must once have been a bird because it lays eggs.” This is the earliest known connection between the hare and Ostara that he could find. From there, one may argue that the so-called “pagan” traditions spread because journalists of the time, writing vacation articles for newspapers and magazines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, obtained a wild hare.

Notwithstanding myths about wild bunnies, it’s possible that hares were venerated in prehistoric societies. According to British archaeologist Nina Crummy, “hare-motif” brooches from the Late Iron Age and Late Roman Period that were discovered together in locations connected to Eostre may be evidence of a Celtic hare god.

Furthermore, according to The Guardian, the discovery of carefully preserved ancient skeletons of hares and chickens in Britain that show no signs of butchering confirms the animals’ unique status and supports Julius Caesar’s claim that “the Britons consider it contrary to divine law to eat the hare, the chicken, or the goose.” But they do this for their entertainment or enjoyment.

Easter Bunny and Eggs

The idea that the Easter Bunny lays eggs on the occasion may seem like an example of incorrect biology, given that rabbits are mammals and give birth to live young. Maybe adding one more miracle to the celebrations? Combining iconography could hold the key to the solution. Like the rabbit, eggs have long been connected to the springtime holiday of Easter as an antiquated symbol of fertility, rebirth, and new life.

Easter eggs are a Christian symbol for the resurrection and ascension of Jesus out of the tomb. The custom of colouring eggs for Easter may have originated in the 13th century, when eggs were customarily restricted during Lent, according to History.com. To make eating them on Easter Sunday an even more joyous occasion, individuals adorned them as the fasting period drew to a close.

Of course, you can always tell the kids the rabbit only provides the eggs and to leave the laying to the hens if you want to keep your Easter festivities in line with their scientific courses.

Is There a Real Easter Bunny?

There isn’t a genuine Easter Bunny. Good Housekeeping offers helpful advice on how and when to tell youngsters the truth about the Easter Bunny if you’re thinking about bringing up this subject with a young child for the first time.

However, you may tell your curious youngster that it’s acceptable to pretend for enjoyment if they’ve pretty much worked out the hoax and are asking questions. After all, children have been playing pretend for generations.

The Easter Bunny’s residence

The official Easter Bunny Tracker indicates Easter Island. The island, which lies in the Southeast Pacific Ocean, was named for Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who came upon it on Easter Sunday in 1722.

To our knowledge, the island serves as E.B.’s residence. This is a contemporary addition to the Easter Bunny mythology, but it makes sense historically: If the Easter Bunny, who was previously limited to Germany, started travelling the world by the middle of the 18th century, he may have also begun looking for new year-round residences. The newly named Easter Island would have been visible on a current globe map at the time, and the location would have seemed perfect—remote, like Santa’s house in the North Pole, but with nicer weather.

Conclusion

To sum up we can say that rabbits and hares have long been revered as symbols of craftiness. They have been associated with the moon’s enigmatic purity, innocence, and extraordinary fecundity. With some justification, this extremely mysterious species continues to elude definition. The farther we delve into the Easter Bunny’s roots, the more he vanishes down the dark warrens, taunting our desperate search for a rational solution to a remarkably intricate problem.