“In my defense, the Easter Bunny is the weakest link in magical lore. I mean, you have to admit that the whole thing is ridiculous. A giant rodent who sneaks into people’s homes at night to leave eggs filled with candy? How in the world is that symbolic of the Easter celebration? ~ Chasing Polaris
My thoughts, exactly. Well, except the rodent bit. Rabbits aren’t rodents. You can tell, in part, by the number of incisors. That’s another topic for another day, though. Back to Easter and seemingly unrelated bundles of fluff.
Where and When Did Easter Traditions Begin?
We have to take the way-back machine for that, according to the Smithsonian. All the way back to the Neolithic era, where hares represented fertility and rebirth. Not bunnies, they aren’t even the same species, but they are the same family. Fast forward to the 1600s, and European traditions, specifically those from England and Germany. Even then, children searched for eggs hidden by the Easter hare. This may have started as part of pagan spring equinox celebrations, which involved bonfires and eating hare meat to banish or scare away witches. Yes, bizarre to us now, and it doesn’t get better. Why eggs? Neither bunnies nor hares lay eggs. But the whole idea is to represent new life, and if bunnies don’t represent new life, I don’t know what does. Still, eggs. Sheesh.
And how does “Easter” connect to the old days? In 1835, one of the Grimm fairy tale brothers, Jacob, proposed that the Eastern hare was connected to the German goddess Oestara, or Eostre, to the Anglo-Saxons. His argument was derived from a medieval monk’s writings in 731 BC. In that century, in England, April was called Eostre Month after the goddess. Christians repurposed the name, if you will, for the joyous remembrance of Christ’s resurrection.
- Fry’s produced the first chocolate Easter egg in 1873
- Cadbury’s produced its first chocolate Easter egg in 1875. Within seven years it had nineteen different versions.
- The rough finish you see on some chocolate eggs originated in Germany and was designed to camouflage imperfections.
- Tosca, an Italian chocolatier, produced the record for chocolate Easter egg weight. Its 2011 entry came in at almost 16,000 pounds.
And Why Do We Still Entertain Bunny Shenanigans?
Traditions hang tough, per NBC Philadelphia. Back when the goddess Eostre was a thing, people used to fill baskets with eggs or seedlings during the spring festivals. Why now, and why in this country? Germans who settled in Pennsylvania brought their stories, of course, and one of them was about a hare that laid colored eggs. I TOLD you this was odd. The children prepared baskets or nests to receive said eggs. I’m assuming this was done for much the same reasons as hanging stockings at Christmas, but that’s purely speculative.
Easter baskets are fun. That may be one reason they’re still around. They tell the littles that Easter is special even at an early age, well before they know anything about the resurrection. My littles are not so little anymore, but they have gotten Easter baskets since they were born, and that tradition will continue for as long as I have the breath in my body to shop for their baskets’ contents. They really only want the Reese’s eggs, but I am a fan of whimsy. Easter baskets with goofy toys and candy give them childhood memories and a few childlike moments. I don’t, however, forget the real cause for celebration. Unlike littles, I am old enough to grasp the sacrifice made on my behalf.
My belief is that a lot of the plastic eggs, chocolate and candy etc. are marketing and advertizing driven.
The baskets are great fun for children! That’s enough reason.
Thought provoking. Easter is a delightful time with good reason. Fashion loves it Children love Easter but we need to remember why we celebrate. In the end section i liked the bunny with the party hat looking at the cupcake with one candle in it