Have you ever known an angry bunny? I haven’t. Even the wild ones that occasionally come into our yard are just cute, timid – okay, scared to death – and appear harmless, even though we know they can scratch our arms to bits trying get away if we try to hold them. (We won’t get into the havoc they cause in our gardens today as this is, after all, Easter weekend. We should be nice to rabbits this week. Besides, they are so soft and cute it’s hard to be mad at them for long.) There are definitely funny bunnies. Like the silly daddy/uncle in my picture and the darling wee bunnies with him. And there are the pets who are housetrained and like to hang out with you. I think all bunnies are scaredy cats. (Maybe that term should have been “scaredy bunnies.”) Bunnies are also really fast. When they see you appear, they freeze for a moment to see if you are going to move, then they take off so fast they are out of sight in seconds.
What has all this bunny rambling got to do with Easter besides the kids watching for the Easter bunny to come, and us getting to see cute pictures of bunnies with colored eggs? Turns out, the bunny or hare is more religious than we guessed – or rather was made to be religious. The primary thought is that the German Lutherans created the Easter bunny's symbolism, and he was much like Santa; he decided who had been naughty or nice and gifted the good kids with eggs, candy and sometimes gifts. (Another way to keep the kiddies in line and encourage good morals, lol.) Christian art often depicts rebirth and resurrection. Rabbits were linked with Mary, mother of Jesus, for centuries since they were thought capable of virgin births. In truth, hares can get pregnant with a second litter while still pregnant with the first one.
The question of Easter bunnies laying eggs apparently stems from some old legends, wherein the Easter bunny was originally a bird who was frozen on a tree branch and Eostre (Saxon goddess of Spring and of the dawn) freed it by turning it into a hare. It continued to lay eggs, but did not need them, so in gratitude for his life being saved he gave them away. (A good lesson for we Christians!) There is no authentic basis to the legend (naturally), but it is kind-of a cool legend.
When we wrap together the also meaningful eggs (symbolizing rebirth) with the Easter bunny and sit down to eat our candy and eggs, let’s remember that the original symbolism in them was to remember and honor Christ our King and God and His salvation, and let’s say some prayers of gratitude that we, too, have life. Life abundant.
The Conversation: The very strange history of the Easter Bunny, Published: March 24, 2016; Wikipedia
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