Origin Story of the Easter Bunny

Origin Story of the Easter Bunny is a long and winding tale of how a simple down to earth rabbit becomes a springtime version of Santa. (Cue dramatic superhero music.) What shady government/military science created this egg delivering mammal? Why are the eggs various colors? How can it hop around the world in one night? What’s up with jellybeans, Peeps and chocolate bunnies? Read on to find out how this story ends.

Brief Breakdown of Easter

Easter is a major Christian Holy Day. It is the resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. Easter is considered a moving holiday since its date is not a set date. The date of Easter always falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the Spring Equinox.

The Easter season begins with Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and is 46 days before Easter. Lent does not include Sundays.

Lent is a time for Christians to focus on prayer, fasting and giving. This is a time period for Christians to imitate Jesus during his 40 days in the desert. During this time, he prayed, fasted and was tempted by the devil. The official end of Lent is different for some denominations, but many consider it to be Holy Thursday. This is the Thursday before Easter Sunday. Holy Thursday is the night of the Last Supper.

Holy Thursday is followed by Good Friday. This is the Passion of Christ. He is beaten, crowned with thorns and crucified. He is placed in a tomb and a large round rock is rolled to block the entrance. Eventually, his followers come to the tomb and find he is no longer there. This is the resurrection and the reason for the celebration.

Nowhere did I mention a rabbit or eggs. So why are the kids of today waiting to see what the Easter Bunny brings them?

Which came first: the Hare or the Egg?

Eggs

This is actually a hard question to answer. Eggs have been known as symbols of spring, fertility, rebirth and new life. Decorated eggs have been found dating back 60,000 years ago in Africa. Decorated eggs were often placed in graves of the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians dating to about 5000 years ago. Pysanky, the Ukrainian art of egg decorating dates to pre-Christian times.

The coloring of eggs at Easter is believed to have been started in Mesopotamia by early Christians. These eggs were dyed red to represent the blood of Christ. Hundreds of years ago, the Church prohibited the eating of eggs during the Lenten season. So many decorated eggs in preparation to eat them on Easter.

The egg wasn’t officially adopted by the church as a symbol of the resurrection until 1610 under Pope Paul V.

Bunnies

Hares or rabbits have been a symbol of fertility and new life. They were also a favorite animal of several goddesses.

Archaeological evidence shows hares being ritually buried alongside humans as far back as the Neolithic Age. Archaeologists interpret this to be a symbolic representation of rebirth. Over a thousand years later in the Iron Age, ritual burials of hares were commonplace.

Julius Caeser mentions in 51 B.C.E. that in Britain hares were not eaten due to their religious significance. Caeser would have also known the Classical Greek tradition that hares were sacred to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

Several other goddesses used the rabbit as a symbol. One of these was the little-known Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility known as Eostre. St. Bede, the Venerable, an early Medieval Monk considered to be the father of English History, discusses his belief that the English word “Easter: comes from Eostre or Eostrae the Anglo-Saxon goddess. He also noted that during 8th century England the month of April was called Eosturmonath or Eostre month.

More recent archaeological research appears to confirm the worship of Eostre in parts of England and Germany with the hare as her main symbol. Her celebrations would have taken place during the spring season.

Still wondering why a rabbit loved by pagan goddesses delivers eggs and candy on the holy day designed to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus? Keep reading.

Conversion through Coercion

Around 595 C.E., Pope Gregory sent a mission of 40 monks to England. This group was led by a Benedictine monk called Augustine. Later he would become the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Their instructions were simple: convert the pagans.

Pope Gregory gave them some advice that allowed this mission to eventually become successful. They were advised to allow the old, heathen festivals and beliefs to remain intact, but whenever possible to superimpose Christian ceremonies and philosophy.

This mandate of conversion through coercion surmised Anglo-Saxon peasants would not object if seasonal festivals of the pagan calendar were Christianized provided their ancient traditions remained basically unchanged.

Gradually main heathen feasts became days honoring Christ or one of the Christian martyrs. Over time, all pagan days were given saints names and big feast days were converted to Christian Festivals.

Examples

Imbolc (February 2nd) is a pagan celebration for the first signs of new growth and the beginning of lactation in ewes. It was associated with the pagan goddess Brigid. Eventually, this became Candlemas the Feast of Purification of the Virgin. It is also the feast day of St. Brigid.

Lughnasadh (August 1st) is a pagan celebration for the start of harvest season. Over time it became Lammas or St. Peter in Fetters Day. It is now a day to bless the bread baked from the newly harvested crop.

Samhain (October 31st, November 1st) is a pagan celebration that marks the end of the “light” or growing half of the year and begins the “dark” or dead half of the year. Bonfires were a common practice for this celebration. Fixing cakes or food to appease the fairies, gods and even the familial dead was also common. This transformed into Allhallowtide: All Hallows’ Eve (October 31st), All Hallows’ Day also called All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd). Read more about ancient Halloween here.

Pagans would have had many spring celebrations. As the world begins to thaw and the days grow brighter, people would want fertility for the fields, animals and even themselves. As I already mentioned, many fertility goddesses had the rabbit as their animal. Hares were often included in many fertility festivals taking place at this time of the year. Eggs were a symbol of fertility and rebirth. It is understandable if the early church was willing to allow the pagan tradition of rabbits and eggs to continue as they had with many other traditions.

Origin of the Easter Bunny

Over hundreds of years traditions practiced by early pagans continued to be practiced by Christians. However, Christians began to forget why they practiced some traditions. Where the tradition of the Easter Bunny started is unknown, simply lost to time.

During the 17th century a German essayist mentions the tradition of rabbits bringing colorful eggs at Easter. As many German immigrants made their way to America, they brought their Easter traditions with them. Children would build nests for the rabbit and then before they awoke on Easter, the Osterhase (Easter Bunny) would have delivered colorful eggs to good boys and girls.

At some point baskets replaced nests. Chocolate, jellybeans and Peeps began replacing eggs as gifts inside the basket. Easter has become the second best selling candy holiday after Halloween.

Chocolate eggs were seen in the early 19th century Europe. The number one best selling candy for Easter is the chocolate rabbit.

The second best selling Easter candy is the marshmallow Peep. Just Born, a Bethlehem, PA-based candy manufacturer, was founded in 1923 by Ukranian immigrant Sam Born. They began selling Peeps in the 1950’s. The original Peeps were handmade marshmallow flavored yellow chicks. They have since branched out to include many colors and shapes. The third largest selling candy is jellybeans. They began to be associated with Easter in the 1930’s even though they have been around since the 1860’s.

Other Easter Animals?

A few areas of the world have other Easter egg delivering animals. In Australia they have the Easter Bilby. The bilby is a marsupial and related to the bandicoot. It has an elongated muzzle, big ears and an elongated tail with a white tip. The bilby is about the size of a rabbit.

Rabbits are a problematic creature for Australia. Ever since their introduction in 1788, they have done what rabbits do: make more rabbits. They have become an invasive species destroying crops and habitats.

The bilby is an endangered animal. It first began to be linked to Easter after a nine-year-old girl wrote a story about the Easter Bilby. Eleven years later the book was published and brought attention to the need of the bilby. In 1991 a greater push was made for the Easter Bilby.

In Switzerland, some celebrate the Easter Cuckoo. A bird bringing eggs makes sense. In some parts of Germany they have an Easter Fox or Easter Rooster traditions. Not much information is available on these other animals.

Hoppy Easter

So, the true origin of the Easter Bunny is still a mystery, as is how it gets all those eggs all around the world in one night. Hopefully now you have a better idea of how the association of rabbits and eggs became tied to the Christian celebration of Easter.

However you celebrate, have a happy and blessed Easter and may the Easter Bunny bring you lots of goodies.

Information from : History, Time, Smithsonian and The Field.