Holidays are some of the best times of the year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Groundhog Day, and Easter are some that we enjoy. While we may know the origins of various holiday traditions, like how Santa Claus was based after St. Nicholas and Thanksgiving was based on the Pilgrims, not many people know why do we have the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs. Today, we're going to talk about the origins of these two Easter symbols.
The Easter Bunny
An Easter Bunny. From Wikimedia Commons.
The origin of the Easter Bunny is related to the fact that rabbits and hares are often related to Spring due to their quick reproduction. "It was said that the rabbit was present at the resurrection of [Jesus Christ], and he took this news everywhere," according to Catholic priest José de Jesús Aguilar. Early Christians began using the rabbit as symbols for Easter and Spring, and in the Middle Ages, it was believed that because of their quick reproduction, they were associated with the Virgin Mary. German Protestants later "told their children that if they were good, the ... "Easter Hare" would leave colored eggs in their garden as a surprise," according to the History Channel Canada. These Germans would later move to the United States during the 1700s, and bring the "Easter Hare" with them.
Easter Eggs
Easter eggs. From Wikimedia Commons.
The origin of easter eggs comes from "the prohibition of eating certain foods during Lent (the religious observance of the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent in the desert fasting)," said Padre José de Jesús Aguilar. One of these prohibited foods were eggs, and in order for the eggs to not go spoiled, people who had farms boiled them and gave them to neighbors as gifts instead of as food. Since they were giving the eggs as gifts, "they began to paint the eggs in very bright colors," and later on, the eggs would be made of wood. Also, the baskets that Easter eggs are carried in originated from German Protestants, who told that children that if they were good, the "Easter Hare" would come and leave some eggs as a surprise. The children made "nests" "for the hare to lay colored eggs in," which "eventually became the Easter basket we know today," mentioned the History Channel Canada.
Bibliography
YouTube. The HISTORY® Channel Canada. April 18, 2019. "HISTORY OF | The Easter Bunny." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpyZuF5JOc4
YouTube. P. José de Jesús Aguilar Valdés. April 13, 2020. "¿Por qué se obsequian huevos en Pascua?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tanz2n-hksE
Encyclopedia Britannica. The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Last updated March 23, 2023. "Lent." https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lent
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