Easter: The Bunny And The Egg

The Rabbit and the Hare, because of their frequent multiple births, are long time symbols of fertility.According to pre-Christian fertility lore, long before Jesus Christ was born, the Easter Bunny, aka the Easter Hare, represented the new life duringthe Spring season.

Children of that era believed that the "Magic Hare" would bring them presents during the Spring festivals. Often, these presents were painted eggs, symbolizing a resurrection or rebirth.

In fact, the Egyptians buried eggs in tombs while Greeks placed eggs on top of graves. The Persians and the Chinese considered the egg to be a special gift at their Spring celebrations.

As part of a gift wrapping tradition, different cultures decorated eggs by either dying them or wrapping them in different types of leaves.

In 1880's Germany, Easter eggs were substituted for birth certificates. The egg, dyed a solid color, had the recipient's name and birth date etched into the shell.

Later, during the Christian period, many eggs were dyed red. It's believed that this was done to honorthe blood that Christ shed.

In England, children rolled eggs down hills on Easter mornings as a game. This signified the rollingaway of the rock from Jesus' tomb when he was resurrected. This custom was brought to the New World by British settlers.

And now, in present times, the tradition of the Easter egg roll, or hunt, continues on city halland church lawns. In Washington,D.C., the annual Egg Roll is sponsored by the wife of the current President for children at the White House.

So, as a Latin proverb goes, "All life comes from an egg." And, in the words of a famous T.V. commercial: "Cluck! Cluck! Easter Bunny!"

Happy Easter!

MORE ABOUT THE EASTER BUNNYhttp://www.holidays.net/easter/bunny1.htm

SEND A VIRTUAL EASTER BASKEThttp://www.billybear4kids.com/post/basket/maker.htm

HOW TO DYE EASTER EGGShttp://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/easter/food_color.htm