Going to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny may be a modern tradition, but the Easter Bunny herself is not. I call the Easter Bunny a her' because of how she came to be. This festive rabbit started as a pagan symbol in their celebration of Eostre. Eostre is a Goddess worshiped by Anglo Saxons through her earthly image as a rabbit or hare.

Rabbits, of course, are known for their extracurricular activities (and I am not talking about eating carrots). Since Eostre is a fertility Goddess, it is only fitting that she be represented by this very productive creature. Spring embodies fertility, since it is a time of reproducing, and rabbits run rampant as a result.

The Germans also had their own idea of the Easter Bunny, though it was actually a hare in their own customs. In their writings around the 1500's this symbol is mentioned, and about 300 years later was turned into a delicious treat made of pastry and sugar. Do you see the connections yet?

In America, the Easter Bunny, didn't find its place until the Germans settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700's. Kids loved awaiting the arrival of the "Oschter Haws" just as much as Christ-Kindel himself. If children behaved all year long, Oschter Haws just might leave a nest of colored eggs for them to enjoy.

The eggs left by the Easter Bunny are an obvious sign of rebirth. It is appropriate that these two emblems are brought together by this holiday. Rabbits reproduce a lot, and eggs are the birthing grounds of life.

Now the Easter Bunny and Easter itself has evolved into a Christian tradition, which is a common occurrence in history. When the second-century of Christian missionaries encountered the pagans, they absorbed the pagan myths and applied it to their own beliefs, and slowly weaved their religion into the pagan system. This worked out nicely since the observance of the resurrection of Christ was celebrated around the same time. The rest, as we say, is history. The name Eostre was changed to Easter, and since the German's settlement, we exchange candyand let's not forget the annual trip to the mall to visit the beloved Easter Bunny.

Learn more about this author, Kelly A. Mello.
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