Why is the Christian Holiday of Easter, and the Easter bunny related? Here's the story.
Posted: Saturday, February 16, 2008
by Sacreeta
Easter will sneak up on you before you know it. It lands on March 23rd this year, so if you want time to prepare for the Hippity Hop fun with the Easter Bunny, better get started. The next time Easter will fall on an early date won't be until March 25th 2035.
For those of you who have always wondered about Easter, and how it relates to the Easter Bunny, The Resurrection of Christ, and the Celebration of the return of Spring, this article is geared towards clarifying some historical facts, and the story of how it all came together.
According to my research, the Easter Bunny is as old a tradition, as Easter itself.
With today's commercialized products, and advertising guru's focusing on the Easter Bunny, the reasoning behind it all seems to have been lost, the original meanings haven't been taught for a very long time, and through the passage of time, we seem to be lost in the translation of who is the Easter Bunny, and how he became to be such a cherished icon for Easter.
As most recognize, Easter is a religiousHoliday . The marking of Resurrection of Christ, in Christianity, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday being the official Holliday.
But how did modern Easter traditions come to be?
When Christians had set out around the world, to seek people to convert to their religion, and preach the gospel, they had encountered many strange and different cultures. To keep peace, and to maintain their teachings on God and his ways, they adapted some of the rituals of other cultures into their own traditions. Easter being one.
The Saxon's, where a strange and wonderful culture, who were free spirited, and very strong in their own religion. They were Pagans, and had a yearly celebration that erupted quite a stir. It was the celebration of the return of Spring, and fertility. They threw an enormous festival to celebrate the Goddess of Spring, and her name was Eastre. As the Christians merged their religious beliefs with the Saxon's, they changed the spelling of Eastre, to Easter.
Of course, for Christians, they do not worship Idols, and certainly not a Goddess. They celebrate Christ, the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Christ is what the Christians based their faith on, and Easter, being a Holiday of rebirth, was the perfectHoliday for Christ, and his rebirth.
The annual date of Easter, wasn't always like it is today. Infact, it wasn't until Emperor Constantine, had initiated a committee, known as the Council of Nicaea, who set the rules of schedule for Easter. It had previous to that, fallen on Tuesday, or a Friday, or any day of the week. With much thought put into the exact dating, this is what they came up.
Easter Sunday, traditionally falls on the first Sunday, after the full moon, (full moon-the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation), on or after the equinox. The full moon, in the ecclesiastical full moon, not what we normally consider as the astronomical full moon. In other words, the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where one day corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon.
If none of that makes sense, think of it this way. What this means, is that the date of Easter, doesn't fall on the same day every year, like Christmas for example. We all know, and expect Christmas Eve to fall on December 24th, and Christmas Day the 25th, no matter what year it is, or day of the week it falls on. Easter, however, is a little different. Easter dates run under the rule of the ecclesiastical venal equinox, which always falls on March 21st. So, Easter is celebrated on a Sunday, between the dates of March 22, and April 25th.
To take it one step further, we need to know how they figure out which Sunday.
That's when the Lenten Season comes into the equation.
Lent, is celebrated by Christians. It marks the period where their Savoir Jesus Christ had fasted for 40 days, resisting temptation, and repenting of sins. Christians are not obligated by the Bible to practice Lent, it is a time honoured tradition that Christians do when following the path of Christ, and have been doing it for over two thousand years. They give up something of value to them, for the duration of 40 days prior to Easter Sunday.
You see, Lent, is a 40 day period, which falls prior to Easter Sunday, and it begins on Ash Wednesday. Valentines Day, or the Mardi Gras, translated as Fat Tuesday, which is dependant on the equinox, and is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. As discussed in my article on Where Valentines Day Comes from, the Mardi Gras is an ancient tradition dating back to the Pagan times, originating in France, where they held a yearly celebration, which originally came from the Egyptian tradition of the Lupercal Feast.
As a recap.
Paris (France
Another reason for the Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, goes a little deeper. It is a day of release. A way to get everything out, before the 40 day Christian Lent period began.
Why is the Easter Bunny apart of Easter?
The Goddess Eastre, who as mentioned above, was the Goddess of Spring.
For those of you who have always wondered about Easter, and how it relates to the Easter Bunny, The Resurrection of Christ, and the Celebration of the return of Spring, this article is geared towards clarifying some historical facts, and the story of how it all came together.
With today's commercialized products, and advertising guru's focusing on the Easter Bunny, the reasoning behind it all seems to have been lost, the original meanings haven't been taught for a very long time, and through the passage of time, we seem to be lost in the translation of who is the Easter Bunny, and how he became to be such a cherished icon for Easter.
First of all the Easter Bunny, is not a boy. He is a woman. A Goddess Infact. And her name is Eastre.
As most recognize, Easter is a religious
When Christians had set out around the world, to seek people to convert to their religion, and preach the gospel, they had encountered many strange and different cultures. To keep peace, and to maintain their teachings on God and his ways, they adapted some of the rituals of other cultures into their own traditions. Easter being one.
The Saxon's, where a strange and wonderful culture, who were free spirited, and very strong in their own religion. They were Pagans, and had a yearly celebration that erupted quite a stir. It was the celebration of the return of Spring, and fertility. They threw an enormous festival to celebrate the Goddess of Spring, and her name was Eastre. As the Christians merged their religious beliefs with the Saxon's, they changed the spelling of Eastre, to Easter.
Of course, for Christians, they do not worship Idols, and certainly not a Goddess. They celebrate Christ, the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Christ is what the Christians based their faith on, and Easter, being a Holiday of rebirth, was the perfect
The annual date of Easter, wasn't always like it is today. Infact, it wasn't until Emperor Constantine, had initiated a committee, known as the Council of Nicaea, who set the rules of schedule for Easter. It had previous to that, fallen on Tuesday, or a Friday, or any day of the week. With much thought put into the exact dating, this is what they came up.
Easter Sunday, traditionally falls on the first Sunday, after the full moon, (full moon-the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation), on or after the equinox. The full moon, in the ecclesiastical full moon, not what we normally consider as the astronomical full moon. In other words, the fourteenth day of a tabular lunation, where one day corresponds to the ecclesiastical New Moon.
If none of that makes sense, think of it this way. What this means, is that the date of Easter, doesn't fall on the same day every year, like Christmas for example. We all know, and expect Christmas Eve to fall on December 24th, and Christmas Day the 25th, no matter what year it is, or day of the week it falls on. Easter, however, is a little different. Easter dates run under the rule of the ecclesiastical venal equinox, which always falls on March 21st. So, Easter is celebrated on a Sunday, between the dates of March 22, and April 25th.
To take it one step further, we need to know how they figure out which Sunday.
That's when the Lenten Season comes into the equation.
Lent, is celebrated by Christians. It marks the period where their Savoir Jesus Christ had fasted for 40 days, resisting temptation, and repenting of sins. Christians are not obligated by the Bible to practice Lent, it is a time honoured tradition that Christians do when following the path of Christ, and have been doing it for over two thousand years. They give up something of value to them, for the duration of 40 days prior to Easter Sunday.
You see, Lent, is a 40 day period, which falls prior to Easter Sunday, and it begins on Ash Wednesday. Valentines Day, or the Mardi Gras, translated as Fat Tuesday, which is dependant on the equinox, and is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. As discussed in my article on Where Valentines Day Comes from, the Mardi Gras is an ancient tradition dating back to the Pagan times, originating in France, where they held a yearly celebration, which originally came from the Egyptian tradition of the Lupercal Feast.
As a recap.
Paris (
Another reason for the Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, goes a little deeper. It is a day of release. A way to get everything out, before the 40 day Christian Lent period began.
Why is the Easter Bunny apart of Easter?
The Goddess Eastre, who as mentioned above, was the Goddess of Spring.
The symbol of the rabbit is actually a Pagan symbol, for the ancient Pagan celebration of Eastre. The Goddess, Eastre, was worshiped by Anglo-Saxons, and was known by her unique symbol, of the rabbit. The Germans were actually the first country to recognize the rabbit as an Easter symbol, and spread Bunny Cheer throughout the world, including America 
If you'd like to know who the Tradition of Easter Eggs fell into the Easter Holiday, check out my other Easter Articles.
Happy Easter
Article by: Sacreeta
This Article has been viewed 3,882 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Hi Secreeta, very well laid out. Unfortunately, it is true, the well meaning Christians of the day, incorporated the pagen holiday of easter into the celebration of the resurrection. God strickly forbade this. As far a lent, this is a Roman Catholic tradition that the men started. Thank you for stating that it is not a Biblical teaching. The fact that man thought he could "help God out" has led to confusion throughout the centuries that followed. I don't fault them,as I sometimes tend to think I need to help God out, but it does break my heart. But again, thanks for the accurate historical information. I hope it helps a lot of people. Oh, I can't help but throw in one more thing. :-) According to the Bible, and a careful study of the first passover in the book of Exodus, we find that Jesus could not have been crucified on Friday. For one, Friday to Sunday does not equal 3 days and 3 nights. This too, is a Roman Catholic tradition that unfortanately most of the church believes. The time of the passover for the Jews is essential to the crucifiction of Christ because Jesus is the ultimate passover lamb and completely fulfills prophecy it was our Thursday and possible the Jewish calendars Wed night as they time a day from sundown to sunup where we call a day from sunup to sundown. Anyway, didn't mean to write a book :-) Happy Resurection day! Blessings to you, TeresaHello Teresa, thank you for reading my article, and posting such a sweet comment. Yes, I agree with you that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to times, and dates, and it does seem as though Jesus wasn't killed on a Friday. All of the historical facts are in the Vatican vault, but even the calendars have changed since scriptures were written. It is a blessing that in this crazy mixed up world today, people, after thousands of years still keep to the faith. Blessings to you Teresa. Sacreeta
Yes, and Amen to that!!!
Basically it was a marketing ploy and the same holds true with Christmas. As for Easter Bunnies, we have a lot running around this time of year. In my opinion they are called politicans. You know something, in my opinion they use the same ploy. Get you to buy the package and once purchased it is something other then what you thought. Works good though. Best wishes RTMRobert you are such a card, always so funny. Thanks for reading my article and leaving us good food for thought. Sacreeta
Interesting article, but in reality, where Jesus is concerned, there is no historical fact, only Biblical stories.Hi Fred from London. I beg to differ Sir, the Vatican for example have documents dating back throughout the centuries in their vault, and records were kept from the days of the Templars. Many of the 'Old' Countries, and Old Cities, such as Jerusalem also have documented proof, and records. Biblical Stories live in the Bible itself, and it's proof enough for every court of law, in any country, it's proof enough for me, and the rest of us. But nice try. SacreetaOne more thing Fred, I had forgotten to thank you for reading my article, and expressing your opinion. Everyone is entitiled to their own opinion and it's great to have a mixture of different responses to my articles. In my upper response, I was merely suggesting that it could be fun to do some research on the actual historical facts, as there are documents out there that they say can prove that Christ actually did walk the earth. In history it's never really was disputed that Christ was alive, only that he was made immortal by the Church, as a means to keep religion alive. That is what some people say, and that's an anchient argument men have squabbled over for centuries. I don't pretend to be an expert, but I love doing research. But all in all it is great to meet you, Thanks again, Sacreeta""
Some say that the way things were done back then (Biblical times) that the day something happened was included in the count. If that is the case, Fri and Sat and Sun would equal 3 days. The question would be does the day really matter?Hi, and thanks for reading my article. Yes that question is a valid one, and is explored up above in another comment. The only thing that I suppose that we can say for sure, is that Emperor Constantine had a committee titled the Council of Nicaea, who came up with the formula for determining Easter Sunday. I am not going to pretend to be an expert on the subject, but it is questionable that Noah in the Bible lived for 300 years while he built the arch. The days and calenders evolved over the centuries, and the actual 3 days, could very well have been more or less. I guess that could be one of the reasons The Emperor had to get some sort of guidelines, no doubt his intention was for his people to respect God, and his Son, and to always remember the Resurrection of Christ. It is an important aspect for Christians, as they base their Religion on that, and there needed to be clairity, a set of rules that went with the dating, and it has been accepted as such since. Does the day really matter? Probably not. Does the Holiday hold signifigance. Probably so. Millions of People all over the world, in every country celebrate Easter. Every high court obligates you to put your hand a Bible, and swear to God that you are going to tell the truth. If it was insigificant, I suspect it wouldn't be so highly respected, two thousand years later by the human race. Hope that answers your question. Sacreeta
Regarding Easter, Christmas and whatever else...in my studies I have found one thing to be true....the Jewish people can certainly teach Christians a lot if we would just listen! For example..how stupid to celebrate easter BEFORE Passover???? And Christmas AFTER the real birth of Christ? It's paganism and an abomination to God to say we do these things and in His name! Jesus was Jewish..100%. It DOES matter. We are called to worship in SPIRIT AND IT TRUTH. There is no truth in lying to ourselves and our children when we practice more according to pagan days than practicing "in truth." He tells us to separate ourselves from the world, but do we?? The East bunny is a symob of fertiliity. Eostre was a goddess of fertility and was also worshipped (also the sun being a symbol). That is where "Sunrise Service" originated. When you sincerely want truth and GOD's truth; not man's, you will start to see these things and see the beauty in why in His eyes it should not be done. An egg laying rabbit...what a joke.Thanks for stopping by and reading my article.. but most of all contributing your view. Sacreeta
Wonderful article. I was not expecting to get so deeply involved, but it enticed me to dig more into the article; therfore, I read it all. I am a Christian and, I am convinced that we need to correct the error (for many) and mistake (for a few, including spiritual leaders: priests and pastors, etc.) in order to follow healthy doctrine. We cannot continue displeasing God to please society at its highest cost. It is our obedience to the Word of God rather than our experiece of a life time tradition. Let's get it right. Curses are still on us because we haven't learnt to detached from "...and what will we do then if we stop celebrating..." Let the Bible be our guide if it is held as our spiritual guide; and, let the rest go to the drain. To much paganism has been included into our so called "Christian celebrations" of which we need to get rid of. The curses are so strong that we celebrate Christian events with worldly ingredients: Holy week with unholy alcoholic beverages, fancy worldly pleasure trips, busy about everything else except that of the crucified Christ, etc. Christmas is the very same. Valentine's too. let's get back to the root, the Bible. Thank you so much. If we can only believe Him (Jesus) we can do it. Somebody busines will have to fall, even our own, but let Christ first reign and not the commerce. From your friend: Javier Hudgson Pomare from San Andres, Island - Colombia (Up in the Caribbean Sea).Hi Javier, great to meet you. Sounds as though you live in a beautiful place. Thank you for reading my article and articulating your view. It's much appreciated. Sacreeta
Your article was well written and insightful. I have attempted to share my frustrations over the continued infiltration of pagan influences in Christianity but have not had much success. I pray that more and more Believers will come to know the truth of the pagan practices that so many brother and sisters partake in. GBU & HJD!
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