As I wrote about the origins of our strange celebration of the Easter bunny and colored eggs, I became increasingly fascinated by the origins of traditions and how they have evolved into what we know today.
Between 550 and 600 AD, Pope Gregory the Great sent missionaries into the British Isles where he instructed them to refashion the religious festivals and locations into that for Christian use. Instead of sacrificing their oxen to pagan gods and devils as they were accustomed, the people were taught to slay their animals in honor of God and for their food. The Christian celebration became Easter, replacing the festival of Eostre (see previous post for more history), and the symbol for fertility, the rabbit, made its way into the mix.
The first historical reference to the Easter bunny appears after 1600, where in Germany he was known as Osterhase. The tradition of Osterhase involved kids building nests of hats around the house, and if they were good little boys and girls (think Saint Nick), the magical bunny would leave in the nests bright, colorful eggs. As German immigrants came to America, the tradition came along with Osterhase now having a supply of chocolates and candies to leave as well.
I find it quite discouraging that the truth about the amazing life and absolutely brutal death of Jesus has been eclipsed by baskets of fake grass, chocolate bunnies and sugar coma-inducing marshmallow birdies. While it is fun for kids to enjoy the frivolity of it all—and who doesn’t like biting the ears off of chocolate bunnies—they need to know the deeper meaning of Easter and why it is the most important event in human history. It’s ironic that we’ve used cute, cuddly bunnies to divert attention from the sad fact that we killed the son of God. That’s hard to sell in drug stores and with greeting cards.
More to come…
Please share this with others