The story of the Easter Bunny!

Tonight, I went to the Maundy Thursday service at our Lutheran Church. Tomorrow is Good Friday. Sunday we will celebrate the holiest day of the Christian religion. The resurrection of our Lord and Savior. However, on Sunday the grandkids will open Easter treats. They will have an Easter egg hunt for eggs hidden by the elusive Easter Bunny. By the way, where did this wonderful tradition come from?

The history

In early European Neolithic age, hares were thought to represent rebirth. They were buried alongside humans according to an article I found in the Smithsonian. The Easter connection seems to be connected to Germany. The rabbit called “Oschter Haws,” appears around the early 1600’s in German writings. The Easter hare would lay a nest of colorful eggs for “good” well behaved children. The pagan beliefs mixed with the Christian ones and have been handed down to blend into our traditions of today.

The Eostre Celebration

I learned in a Mental Floss story there was a celebration in early European times. The Eostre Festival was close to the time of Easter. Both festivals celebrated rebirth and fertility. It is a spring thing. Soon they merged becoming one. “Oschter Haws came to America with Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 1700s and evolved into the Easter Bunny as it became entrenched in American culture.”

The Fun continues and the Promise is kept.

The true reason for the celebration is the resurrection. Jesus rising from the grave is what Easter is all about. Finding an egg with a treasure adds fun to enjoy. Each year we search for the eggs. I think about Mary and the women searching for Jesus in the tomb. Eggs are filled with candy placed by the folklore Easter Bunny. Jesus though, is gone from the tomb. He is risen. He is real. Jesus kept His promise to return, He and His promises can be counted on.