It's that time of year again. Every child looks forward to Easter and the fun activities associated with it such as hunting Easter Eggs and gorging on pure sugar until they get a bellyache, all to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. So, where did all the trappings of Easter come from? Why do we associate bunnies, eggs and candy with the resurrection of Christ?
The Christian celebration of the day of Christ’s resurrection or “Easter” has been a staple of the Christian church since at least the second century. It was originally called “Pascha”, a transliteration of the Aramaic word for Passover, "Paskha”, reflecting the connection between the Jewish Passover and the Christian celebration of the Resurrection, which occurred during the Passover week. The first recorded use of the name “Easter” was in the 8th Century , when the noted scholar, the Venerable Bede, noted the change with the following explanation; “the Anglo-Saxon month corresponding to April was called "Eosturmonath", which was named after the goddess Eostre”. He wrote that “the pagan festival of spring in the name of the goddess has become assimilated into the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ”. Recent archaeological research appears to confirm the worship of Eostre in parts of England and Germany, with the hare as her main symbol.
Thus Christians began calling the celebration of Christ’s resurrection “Easter” after her. It is of note that Anglo-Saxon pagans didn’t start converting to Christianity until sometime in the late 6th century. The conversion of King Æthelbert of Kent in 597, was one of the first major shifts in their beliefs as many of his constituents followed his lead and converted themselves. As they adopted Christianity, pagans brought with them remnants of their old beliefs. Some of these beliefs made it into mainstream Christianity with such things as the naming of “Easter”.
Christians celebrate Easter with many church services. A recent study by “Lifeway Research” shows that over half of U.S. Protestant pastors identify Easter as the day their church has its highest attendance. That said, what is with all the other traditions and practices that surround the celebration? For instance the “Easter Bunny” is probably the most recognized of all the “Easter” traditions, but what does an egg laying bunny have to do with Christ’s resurrection?
Every year Christians everywhere hide eggs or reasonable facsimiles thereof and tell their children that the Easter Bunny has left hidden eggs for them to find. I’ve checked and the Bible makes no mention of a long-eared furry creature with a little ball of fur for a tail that hides decorated eggs for children to hunt on Easter. So, how did this critter and his eggs become a part of the Christian celebration of “Easter”?
As noted above, the hare was the main symbol associated with the goddess Eostre, after which “Easter” is named. The exact origins of the mythical furry egg laying mammal are unclear, but rabbits, known to be prolific procreators, are an ancient pagan symbol of fertility and new life. In 51 B.C.E., Julius Caesar noted that people in Britain did not eat hares due to their religious significance. Hares were given ritual burials alongside humans during the Neolithic age in Europe. Archaeologists have interpreted this as a religious ritual, with hares representing rebirth. In the classical Greek tradition, hares were sacred to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Meanwhile, Aphrodite’s son Eros was often depicted carrying a hare as a symbol of unquenchable desire. During the Renaissance, hares often appear as symbols of sexuality in literature and art. For example, the Virgin Mary is often shown with a white hare or rabbit, symbolizing that she overcame sexual temptation.
Early accounts of the “Easter” association with a hare or rabbit from the 1600s include the eating of hare meat on Christmas. The practice is most likely associated with the belief in scaring away witches at “Easter”, as this was a common practice at the time. Throughout northern Europe, folk traditions record a strong belief that witches would often take the form of a hare, usually for causing mischief such as stealing milk from neighbors’ cows.The spring equinox, with its promise of new life, was held symbolically in opposition to the life-draining activities of witches and winter.
One tradition, known as the “Hare Pie Scramble,” was held at Hallaton, a village in Leicestershire, England. It involved eating a pie made with hare meat and people “scrambling” for a slice. In 1790, the local parson tried to stop the custom due to its pagan associations, but he was unsuccessful, and the custom continues in that village until this day.
Most scholars agree that the modern version of the tradition began in the US in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and brought 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. Soon, the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests.
Now, let’s look at the egg itself and the historic symbolism. The egg was an ancient pagan symbol of new life and has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating the regeneration of spring for many centuries. This is believed to be the basis of the “Osterhase”, as the ritual was practiced around the spring equinox. The “Osterhase” and the practice of coloring the eggs dates to around the 13th Century according to many sources.
And what about all that candy? Easter is the second best-selling candy holiday in America after Halloween. Among the most popular sweet treats associated with this day are chocolate eggs, which date back to early 19th-century Europe. Another egg-shaped candy, the jelly bean, became associated with Easter in the 1930s. And we can’t forget the chocolate bunnies. All totaled Americans spend around $3B on candy alone at Easter. This is another example of what happens when commercialism and consumerism become intertwined with religious holidays. It was the candy industry that convinced us that we needed their candy to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. They started with chocolate eggs, this led to egg shaped jelly beans, followed by chocolate rabbits and marshmallow bunnies called Peeps. Rodda Candy, the company that introduced Peeps in the 1940s also originally made marshmallow crosses, which of course are associated with Easter. They blatantly marketed their sweets to fit what were already symbols of Easter.
So, now we celebrate the resurrection of Christ with all these trappings that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ or His resurrection, but are instead vestiges of ancient pagan beliefs that have been used to commercialize what should be the remembrance of a solemn and joyous occasion. Would Christ be happy to see His resurrection celebrated in this way? Would God approve? Or would God rather that we spent that $3B (that’s spent on candy alone and doesn’t include all the plastic eggs and baskets or the spring fashions purchased for the occasion) to help the poor? Since there are around 800,000 homeless people in America today that would come out to $3750 per homeless person. Just saying.
The Christian celebration of the day of Christ’s resurrection or “Easter” has been a staple of the Christian church since at least the second century. It was originally called “Pascha”, a transliteration of the Aramaic word for Passover, "Paskha”, reflecting the connection between the Jewish Passover and the Christian celebration of the Resurrection, which occurred during the Passover week. The first recorded use of the name “Easter” was in the 8th Century , when the noted scholar, the Venerable Bede, noted the change with the following explanation; “the Anglo-Saxon month corresponding to April was called "Eosturmonath", which was named after the goddess Eostre”. He wrote that “the pagan festival of spring in the name of the goddess has become assimilated into the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ”. Recent archaeological research appears to confirm the worship of Eostre in parts of England and Germany, with the hare as her main symbol.
Thus Christians began calling the celebration of Christ’s resurrection “Easter” after her. It is of note that Anglo-Saxon pagans didn’t start converting to Christianity until sometime in the late 6th century. The conversion of King Æthelbert of Kent in 597, was one of the first major shifts in their beliefs as many of his constituents followed his lead and converted themselves. As they adopted Christianity, pagans brought with them remnants of their old beliefs. Some of these beliefs made it into mainstream Christianity with such things as the naming of “Easter”.
Christians celebrate Easter with many church services. A recent study by “Lifeway Research” shows that over half of U.S. Protestant pastors identify Easter as the day their church has its highest attendance. That said, what is with all the other traditions and practices that surround the celebration? For instance the “Easter Bunny” is probably the most recognized of all the “Easter” traditions, but what does an egg laying bunny have to do with Christ’s resurrection?
Every year Christians everywhere hide eggs or reasonable facsimiles thereof and tell their children that the Easter Bunny has left hidden eggs for them to find. I’ve checked and the Bible makes no mention of a long-eared furry creature with a little ball of fur for a tail that hides decorated eggs for children to hunt on Easter. So, how did this critter and his eggs become a part of the Christian celebration of “Easter”?
As noted above, the hare was the main symbol associated with the goddess Eostre, after which “Easter” is named. The exact origins of the mythical furry egg laying mammal are unclear, but rabbits, known to be prolific procreators, are an ancient pagan symbol of fertility and new life. In 51 B.C.E., Julius Caesar noted that people in Britain did not eat hares due to their religious significance. Hares were given ritual burials alongside humans during the Neolithic age in Europe. Archaeologists have interpreted this as a religious ritual, with hares representing rebirth. In the classical Greek tradition, hares were sacred to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Meanwhile, Aphrodite’s son Eros was often depicted carrying a hare as a symbol of unquenchable desire. During the Renaissance, hares often appear as symbols of sexuality in literature and art. For example, the Virgin Mary is often shown with a white hare or rabbit, symbolizing that she overcame sexual temptation.
Early accounts of the “Easter” association with a hare or rabbit from the 1600s include the eating of hare meat on Christmas. The practice is most likely associated with the belief in scaring away witches at “Easter”, as this was a common practice at the time. Throughout northern Europe, folk traditions record a strong belief that witches would often take the form of a hare, usually for causing mischief such as stealing milk from neighbors’ cows.The spring equinox, with its promise of new life, was held symbolically in opposition to the life-draining activities of witches and winter.
One tradition, known as the “Hare Pie Scramble,” was held at Hallaton, a village in Leicestershire, England. It involved eating a pie made with hare meat and people “scrambling” for a slice. In 1790, the local parson tried to stop the custom due to its pagan associations, but he was unsuccessful, and the custom continues in that village until this day.
Most scholars agree that the modern version of the tradition began in the US in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and brought 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. Soon, the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests.
Now, let’s look at the egg itself and the historic symbolism. The egg was an ancient pagan symbol of new life and has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating the regeneration of spring for many centuries. This is believed to be the basis of the “Osterhase”, as the ritual was practiced around the spring equinox. The “Osterhase” and the practice of coloring the eggs dates to around the 13th Century according to many sources.
And what about all that candy? Easter is the second best-selling candy holiday in America after Halloween. Among the most popular sweet treats associated with this day are chocolate eggs, which date back to early 19th-century Europe. Another egg-shaped candy, the jelly bean, became associated with Easter in the 1930s. And we can’t forget the chocolate bunnies. All totaled Americans spend around $3B on candy alone at Easter. This is another example of what happens when commercialism and consumerism become intertwined with religious holidays. It was the candy industry that convinced us that we needed their candy to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. They started with chocolate eggs, this led to egg shaped jelly beans, followed by chocolate rabbits and marshmallow bunnies called Peeps. Rodda Candy, the company that introduced Peeps in the 1940s also originally made marshmallow crosses, which of course are associated with Easter. They blatantly marketed their sweets to fit what were already symbols of Easter.
So, now we celebrate the resurrection of Christ with all these trappings that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ or His resurrection, but are instead vestiges of ancient pagan beliefs that have been used to commercialize what should be the remembrance of a solemn and joyous occasion. Would Christ be happy to see His resurrection celebrated in this way? Would God approve? Or would God rather that we spent that $3B (that’s spent on candy alone and doesn’t include all the plastic eggs and baskets or the spring fashions purchased for the occasion) to help the poor? Since there are around 800,000 homeless people in America today that would come out to $3750 per homeless person. Just saying.
