Yay! Easter! Chocolate, eggs, feasting, and fat, fuzzy, adorable little bunnies all over the place!
What’s not to love about Easter!?
This posting will look at the history of Easter. Crack open some chocolate eggs, and sink your teeth into its sweet, delicious history. Yes, it may be over. But haven’t you ever just…wondered?
The Origins of Easter
Contemporary sources will tell you that Easter is the religious festival representing the rebirth of Jesus. And that the eggs that everyone seems to love, represent the enormous boulder rolled away from the mouth of the cave which was Jesus’ tomb.
But if that be the case, where did the eggs come from? Why are they coloured? What’s with all the bunnies? And why is it called ‘Easter’ to begin with? Let’s find out together…
What’s in a Name?
The name “Easter”, comes from the ancient Germanic goddess, Eostre. Eostre, or in even older versions, “Austron“, was the Goddess of the Spring, and of Fertility and sunshine. Awwww! She was one of the several pagan gods and goddesses who made up the belief-systems in the lives of pre-Christian Europeans. As such, ‘Easter’ has less to do with resurrection and more to do with new birth, babies, sex, fertility and the new year.
When Christianity spread to Europe, Christians hijacked the Spring celebration of the Goddess Eostre, and changed it to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and “Easter”.
An 1884 engraving of the Pagan goddess “Eostre”,
including an “Eostre Bunny”, on the right side of the picture!
This wasn’t a new thing. Christians were famous for it. Before Christmas showed up, it was called “Saturnalia”, and was the main Roman midwinter festival. The Christians changed that, too, and made it the birth of Christ. It was the only way they could convert people without upsetting them – changing pagan holidays into Christian ones.
What’s with the Eggs?
Eggs are the symbol of Easter because they symbolise birth and new life in each coming Spring. Eggs were also symbolic of the Christian period of Lent, when people were expected to give up, or go without certain foodstuffs. Eggs, since they did not keep for very long, were one of the foodstuffs a family would have to eat quickly before they went bad. And they would not be able to eat them again until after Lent. Since Easter and the end of Lent came close together, eggs, once forbidden, were now freely consumed, and became part of the traditions of Easter.
Decorating Easter Eggs has been a long tradition which stretches back centuries, into various cultures, from as far-afield as Russia, Europe, and even the Middle East, where it was popular in countries such as Iran. It’s believed that the Christian tradition of egg-decoration began in Iran, and spread westwards with the spread of Christianity.
Where does the Easter Bunny Come From?
Awww! Sweet, fat, cute, cuddly, fuzzy, bouncy, furry little bunnies! Hopping along delivering eggs and chocolates and toys to kiddies, in their cute little baskets! Ain’t it adorable?
But why do we have Easter Bunnies? Why not Easter Chickens? Chickens lay eggs. Rabbits don’t. So why rabbits?
Rabbits have become a symbol of Easter because Easter came from the traditional European celebrations of the coming of Spring, and the birth of the new year. As Bugs Bunny famously said: “If it’s one thing we rabbits can do, it’s multiply!”
Spring is all about fertility, new birth, babies, and youngsters coming into the world. And few species know more about fertility, or carry out this important activity more prolifically than bunny-rabbits!
Okay, maybe Star Trek tribbles. But I don’t think we’re going to see an Easter Tribble anytime soon.
It’s for this reason that rabbits have become synonymous with spring, and with Easter.
Easter Today
And so there you have it. The Christian notions and beliefs in Easter are only the latest version of this ancient holiday, whose meaning was changed to suit their needs. Historically it has nothing to do with Christianity, or Jesus, but has deeper, pre-Christian, Pagan roots, going back centuries. And the same goes for the eggs, and even the bunnies.