Here comes Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity Easter’s on its way… and I don’t know about you, but until I did a little research, I had no idea why Peter Cottontail got to be the mascot of a holiday that celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I mean, I like rabbits more than most, and I have more than my fair share of them, but I couldn’t help but wonder how such traditions developed? And for that matter, how did eggs become an Easter thing?
If you were wondering the same things, search no further! As it turns out, both eggs and bunnies symbolize fertility and new life. Remember, Easter happens in the Spring, when the world seems to come alive again, and most pagan cultures before Christianity traditionally would have some type of celebration to usher in the better weather. The name Easter itself comes from a German/English (think pagan Anglo-Saxon type peoples) goddess named Eostre. She was the goddess of fertility, and she was typically celebrated at the vernal equinox (the first day of Spring). It just so happens that she was often symbolized by the rabbit.
As Christianity moved up into Europe, it often incorporated itself with pagan traditions to make the transition for the pagans a little easier (you can debate amongst yourselves the morality of this). Instead of celebrating the vernal equinox, they celebrated the death and resurrection of Christ. A similar tale can be told regarding the winter solstice celebration becoming a a festival for the birth of Christ.
There is a bit more to the story behind the eggs, though. While it is true they were a symbol of new life, their role as a part of Easter has evolved over time. Before a few decades ago, people participating in the Catholic lent were prohibited from eating eggs in the forty days before Easter. However, as I can tell you, just because you don’t eat eggs for a time, that does not mean that the chickens stop laying them. With the supply of eggs mounting as Easter approached, people began to decorate them and give them away for the holiday!
All that being said, I hope that you learned a thing or two. I know I did! I hope you have a great Easter this year knowing a little bit more about where some of the traditions came from. And most importantly, I hope we all take some time to remember the greatest moment in history when Jesus Christ laid down his life in the place of us sinners and rose again, showing that His payment for our sins had been accepted and that He truly was the Son of God.
IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW