The History of The Easter Bunny

The History of The Easter Bunny

Easter is a joyous event that is celebrated every year by Christians worldwide. It acknowledges the rebirth of hope, happiness and care. This is because it symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ thereby emanating a religious stronghold belief in Christians. Moreover, Easter occurs during spring mainly on the Sunday that follows the appearance of the first full moon. Spring is ecstatic to most individuals since it brightens up the gloomy effect of winter. The environment turns green as trees grow buds, flowers blossom, and Easter bunny comes to life as the joyous celebration draws near. The atmosphere is engulfed with crisp clean air filled with the enticing flower fragrance and sweet food aroma from all the Easter cooking. The chortling sound of church bells, smooth voices of the choir and the buzzing of bees further compliments the season.

So here is the detailed history of the Easter bunny

Just like Christmas most children also anticipate for the Easter holidays. They yearn for the Easter games, gifts, music, films and other Easter related activities. Since time immemorial, most of the Easter activities usually revolve around the Easter bunny. This is because the bunny represents an earthly symbol for the existence of Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess. In the ancient times, it was believed that the spring time goddess, Eostre, was the sole provider of fertility. Without her the environment would be stuck with the aftereffects of the cold winter season. Spring time and the rebirth of all of nature would cease to exist.

The rabbit was Eostre’s favorite animal, thus it was her pet. This is because she considered rabbits to be a sacred symbol of fertility. Rabbits usually give birth to groups of litters at a time, which is why they are considered to be so fertile. Moreover, they are prolific breeders in that they can conceive a second group of litters before giving birth to the first group of litters. Furthermore, rabbits have the capability of giving birth to a group of litters more than once in a year thus their profound use during Easter as a sign of fertility and mark the rebirth of nature. However, currently the rabbit is used to represent the Easter bunny since the two animals have similar features and traits.

Children are made to believe that if they are well-behaved throughout the year they will be visited by the Easter bunny and receive a parcel of a colored basket of eggs among other gifts. It is therefore, a common habit to see children build nests at secluded locations in their homes. These so called nests are also referred to as Easter baskets. The use of the Easter bunny to represent the Easter holiday was formulated in the 1500s by Germans. The idea of preparing edible bunnies also originated from Germany where the first Easter rabbit was made using sugar and pastry. The Americans adopted the use of the bunny in their Easter folklore from the German settlers that migrated to their country in the 1700s. Today, the use of the Easter bunny dominates the market during Easter. Stores all over are filled with bunny shaped toys, chocolate, cakes and sweets.