Why Does A Rabbit Bring Eggs on Easter?

Boy With Rabbit 18th Century European Portrait

Why has a rabbit become a prominent part of one of Christianity's Easter celebrations of rebirth & renewal? One theory, according to Time, is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from the ancient pagan tradition on which many Easter traditions are based — the festival of Eostre, which honored the goddess of fertility & spring. The goddess's animal symbol was a rabbit, which have long traditionally stood for fertility due to their high reproduction rates.

Little Bertha with a Hare  Friedrich von Amerling (Austro-Hungarian 

The Easter Bunny made its way to colonial America. History.com reports that it was first introduced in the 1700s by German immigrants to Pennsylvania, who reportedly brought over their tradition of an egg-laying hare named "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws" from Europe. Legend has it, the rabbit would lay colorful eggs as gifts to children who were good, so kids would make nests in which the bunny could leave his eggs & even sometimes set out carrots in case the hare got hungry. 

Breton Girl with Rabbit  James Collinson (British  1825 - 1881)

According to History.com, the tradition of decorating eggs for Easter may date back to the 13th century, when eggs were traditionally considered a forbidden food during the Lent season. That's why people decorated them as the fasting period came to an end, to make eating them an even more celebratory way to feast on Easter Sunday.

The White Rabbit John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (English 1829 - 1908)

A rabbit does not bring Easter eggs in some countries outside of the U.S. In Australia, for example, the spring holiday is greeted with the Easter Bilby, an endangered rabbit-like marsupial native to that country. Other gift-bearing animals include the Easter Cuckoo in Switzerland &, in some parts of Germany, the Easter Fox or the Easter Rooster! 

Feeding the RabbitysFelix Schlesinger (German 1833 - 1910)

The Smithsonian Magazine tells us that, "In European traditions, the Easter bunny is known as the Easter hare. The symbolism of the hare has had many tantalizing ritual & religious roles down through the years.

 

Young Girl Holding a Pet Rabbitt  Frank Holl (British painter) 1845 - 1888

"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.

Feeding the Rabbits  Emile Munier (French 1840 - 1895

"Over a thousand years later, during the Iron Age, ritual burials for hares were common, & in 51 B.C.E., Julius Caesar mentioned that in Britain, hares were not eaten due to their religious significance...

Feeding the BunniesCharles Edward Wilson (English 1854 - 1941)

"Accounts from the 1600s in Germany describe children hunting for Easter eggs hidden by the Easter hare, much as in the United States today.

Feeding the Rabbits  Paul Hoecker (German 1854 - 1910)

"Written accounts from England around the same time also mention the Easter hare, particularly in terms of traditional Easter hare hunts & the eating of hare meat at Easter...

Louisav & Ther Rabbit Charles Edward Wilson (British 1854 - 1941)

"In 1835, the folklorist Jacob Grimm, one of the famous team of the fairy tale Brothers Grimm, argued that the Easter hare was connected to a goddess he imagined would have been called Ostara in ancient German. He derived this name from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who Bede, an early medieval monk considered to be the father of English history, mentioned in 731 C.E.

Feeding the Rabbits  Laura Muntz Lyall (Canadian 1860 - 1930)

"Bede noted that in eighth-century England, the month of April was called Eosturmonath, or Eostre Month, after the goddess Eostre. He wrote that a pagan festival of spring in the name of the goddess had become assimilated into the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ...

A Peek in the Basket  George Sheridan Knowles (British 1863 - 1931)

"Recent archaeological research appears to confirm the worship of Eostre in parts of England & Germany, with the hare as her main symbol. The Easter bunny therefore seems to recall these pre-Christian celebrations of spring, heralded by the vernal equinox & personified by the goddess Eostre."

See:

Time Magazine

Historty.com

Good Housekeeping Magazine

The Smithsonian Magazine

It's All About Animals by Christa.Zaat