Jesus->Easter Bunny->Cadburys?

StupidLikeAFox

So where did the link between Jesus and the easter bunny come from? On one hand, easter is all about Jesus' resurrection etc, so to commemorate this a giant bunny hands out chocolate easter eggs? Whats up with that?

Silverfish

Because apparently the egg is meant to represent the tomb Jesus rose from or something.

Whole new meaning to 'Sweet Jesus!!'

Anima

lol

sceptre

Short answer: pre-Christianity, hares and rabbits were regarded as very fertile around this time of year (still are, the randy creatures). Became informally associated with Easter in Germany as part of the spring festival (there are printed records of that going back 500 years, which is about as long as we've had printing outside of China) where the bunny might bring children little presents (hopefully bags of coal or perhaps Ben & Jerry's). Introduced by the Germans to the US around the 1700s, pastry bunnies first made around that time. The Oschter Haws (the bunny) started laying coloured eggs around that time (the kids would make a nest for it and everything using bonnets or caps (obviously this is where the Easter bonnet comes from as well)). Chocolate came later. Everything is all about chocolate given enough time.

Piste

Easter has its roots in Paganism, I posted a wiki link on some other thread earlier. The Bunnies and Chickens are representing spring as this is the time of year when animals start mating. The Christian spin on it is that chickens hatching and baby animals being born is new life and is symbolic of the ressurection. The chocolate is a treat for kids to have after Lent.

MrPinK

Well us heathens need some way to celebrate these religious holidays. We already have something to do for Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Now we just need something to do for the Epiphany.

WizZard

sceptre wrote:

[...]Chocolate came later. Everything is all about chocolate given enough time.

And with good reason, chocolate rules

solo1

Easter: from Oestre, from whence also oestrogen.

A fertility festival.

Interestingly, some on this board claim that the fertility festival "pre-dates" Christianity. Of course it would be more accurate to say that the Christian festival of Easter is merely a continuation of the fertility festival - albeit with an eschatological twist.

There is much in all religions about gods (or sometimes kings) dying and coming back to life again, mainly to symbolise the apparent life and death in the cycle of normal vegetative growth. Hence: Mithras; Adonis; Osiris; and Jesus.

Eggs are symbolic of fertility and rabbits are symbolic of sexual activity. Hence; "at it like rabbits".

Crania

Apparantly, Heaven and Earth were thought to have been formed from two halves of an egg so an egg was an obvious symbol to early Christians of Jesus' resurrection and it was felt to be a most appropriate and holy part of the Easter celebrations

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,12666249%255E3462,00.html

So if the Saxon goddess Oestre did not exist, what about her magical bunny? Where did he come from?

"I really have no idea," Dr Freeman said.

The Easter bunny, it seems, is as mysterious to historians as he is elusive to children.
...
Dr Freeman said she suspected the combination of the imagery to create our modern Easter occurred some time in the 19th century.