Bunnies And Their Connection To Easter

Ah, Easter. The time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to indulge in lamb, hot crossed buns, and chocolate eggs that get delivered by a bunny who delivers them, none of which are to be found in scripture. Never questioned it up until now.

Speaking of the adorable Leporidae, have you ever wondered how rabbits and bunnies are connected to the sacred Christian holiday? The exact origins of the eluded ‘Easter Bunny’ are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre-a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding have traditionally symbolized fertility. Rabbits and hares have also been associated with Mary, mother of Jesus, for centuries. Their association with virgin birth comes from the fact that hares – often conflated mistakenly with rabbits – can produce a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first.

Fun Fact: Each female bunny usually has more than one litter per year. Each of those litters can have anywhere from three to four babies, to even seven, eight, nine, or even more kits, which are what newborn bunnies are called.

It’s tempting to assume that because there is no biblical basis for the ‘Easter Bunny’, rabbits and bunnies do not have any religious significance. But that really is not the case.

Leviticus 11:6 states that the hare is an unclean animal: “The hare, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs: it is unclean for you.”, but in Christian art, it is regularly associated with rebirth and resurrection.

In fact, the symbol of a circle of three hares joined by their ears has been found in a number of churches in Devon. Like much of our cultural "bunny” symbolism, the meaning of this image remains mysterious – and The Three Hares Project has been set up to research and document occurrences of the ancient symbol, examples of which have been found as far away as China.

Eggs are also representative of new life, and it is believed that decorating eggs for Easter dates to the 13th century. Hundreds of years ago, churches had their congregations abstain from eggs during Lent, allowing them to be consumed again on Easter. According to History.com, in the 19th century, Russian high society started exchanging ornately decorated eggs, even jewel crusted, on Easter.

But how did the Easter Bunny begin delivering eggs on American shores? According to History.com, the theory with the most evidence is that the floppy-eared bearer of candy came over with German immigrants.

According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the U.S. and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping.

The earliest reference to an egg-toting Easter Bunny can be found in a late 16th-century German text (1572). “Do not worry if the Easter Bunny escapes you; should we miss his eggs, we will cook the nest,” the text reads. A century later, a German text once again mentions the Easter Bunny, describing it as an “old fable”, and suggesting that the story had been around for a while before the book was written.

In the 18th century, German immigrants took the custom of the Easter Bunny with them to the United States and, by the end of the 19th century, sweet shops in the eastern states were selling rabbit-shaped candies, prototypes of the chocolate bunnies we have today.

Bunnies aren’t the animal traditionally associated with Easter in every country. Some identify the holiday with other types of animals like foxes or cuckoo birds.

So whether bunnies are unclean, symbols of prolific sexual activity, or icons of virginity, the enigmatic Easter Bunny looks likely to remain a central part of Easter celebrations – recently, one was even involved in a surreal mass brawl in a New Jersey shopping center. Just where they came from, however, will probably have to remain a mystery. At least for now.

22.03.2022