Ask Dear Old Dad: Easter Bunnies & Easter Eggs?

Dear DOD,

How did eggs and rabbits get associated with Easter?

Carol

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Dear Carol,

The word Easter, it seems, occurs only in English usage. The Venerable Bede, an eighth century English monk, noted the connection of the celebration of Jesus’s resurrection to the celebration of the Germanic goddess of spring, Eastre/Ēostre. Our word Easter most probably derives from the name of that goddess. Bede noted that Christians continued using the name of the pagan month Eosturmonath for the season of Christ's resurrection.

In most Christian traditions, the word for the celebration of Easter derives from the Hebrew word for Passover, Pesach. In most other languages (e.g., French: Pâques, Spanish: Pascua, Italian: Pasqua), the name is derived from the Greek/Latin Pascha, which itself comes from Hebrew. This is because the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus occurred during the week of Passover.

In the 1700s, German immigrants brought to America the story of the “Osterhase,” a hare that laid colored eggs for children who prepared nests. Rabbits were seen as harbingers of spring and new life. This folklore blended with Christian Easter celebrations in the United States, and American business prowess transformed it into the modern Easter Bunny, delivering eggs and candy. Chocolate was not discovered by the “civilized world” until the 1600s, so chocolate bunnies and eggs did not arrive for many, many years after. I’m sad to say that Hershey’s has dropped the name Reeseaster Bunny from their chocolate peanut butter Easter confections. I grieve my brief name association with that confection.

A second and obvious association of an egg with Easter is the egg on the Seder plate at the Jewish celebration of Passover. There are myriad meanings tagged to this particular egg. I am most drawn to those pointing to loss and new life.

Finally, there is the legend of Mary Magdalene and the red egg. In spite of the early church fathers attempting to paint Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, the facts in history suggest her to be a woman of stature and substance. To the embarrassment of some, she is in the New Testament, the very first witness to the resurrected Jesus. Tradition has it that later in life she was granted an audience with Tiberius Caesar, where she told the story of the Resurrection. He scoffed at her dismissively with, “That’s about as likely as that egg you’re holding turning red.” According to tradition/legend, the egg immediately turned red. In Eastern/Orthodox Christianity, the eggs at Easter celebrations are red.

In traditional iconography, Mary Magdalene is painted as an apostle and is often holding an egg.

So there you have the journey between the grim machine of execution, a wooden cross, to bunnies and candy eggs.

Hope this helps,

Dear Old Dad (DOD)

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