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Easter Sunday -

Today, Easter is synonymous with a bunny delivering chocolate eggs to children. You'd be forgiven for feeling confused about how this bizarre tradition came about!

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Easter Sunday -

Not least because it's tied to the Christian biblical story of Jesus dying on the cross and being resurrected three days later. What's the link?

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Folk customs -

Similar to Christmas, Easter has gained many traditions over time that have little to do with the Christian celebration, and are more rooted in old folk customs.

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The Easter bunny -

The bunny has obvious connotations to fertility. The onset of spring is considered one of the most fertile times of the year, when life is returning to the land after the winter season.

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The hare -

But did you know the tradition actually originates from the European hare? This animal, not the bunny, was associated with spring.

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The hare -

In the Neolithic Age, hares were venerated, and given burial rights alongside humans. This was most likely part of a religious ritual, with the hare representing rebirth.

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Origins of the Easter egg hunt -

In accounts as far back as 1600's Germany, children are described as hunting for Easter eggs left by the "Easter hare," similar to the Easter bunny of modern times.

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Aphrodite -

Hares were sacred to the ancient Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Her son Eros is frequently depicted as carrying a hare, as a symbol of desire that cannot be satiated.

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Eostre -

Eostre was a spring goddess in West Germanic tradition. She was also known as Ostara. This is where the namesake of Easter originates in some languages.

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Worship -

Archaeological finds in parts of England and Germany confirm worship of Eostre, with the hare being her symbol.

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Spring celebration -

The tradition of the Easter bunny seems to derive from these ancient spring celebrations, ushered in by the equinox and personified by the goddess Eostre (Ostara).

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Spring celebration -

Following the darkness of winter, it makes sense that the themes of resurrection and rebirth would take center stage: with flowers beginning to bloom and animals giving birth in spring.

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Bede the Venerable -

According to 7th-century English monk and scholar Bede, feasts were held in honor of Eostre's month, which was April in the Julian calendar.

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Ostara -

Ostara became the second of three spring celebrations: the first one being Imbolc, in February, and the last being Beltane, in May.

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Passover -

In most European languages, the name for Easter is derived from the Jewish festival of Passover. For example, in Greek the feast is called Pascha, in Italian Pasqua, in Danish Paaske, and in French Paques.

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Anglo-Saxon cultures -

However, in English-speaking countries and Germany, the festival name derives from the ancient goddess of spring and renewal, with Easter/Ostern coming from the word Ostara.

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The spring equinox -

Ostara has become a name for the spring equinox in some modern pagan traditions, the time when light and dark are in balance again in the wheel of the year.

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Pagan celebrations -

Pagan celebrations during this holiday have themes of balance, renewal, and rebirth. The symbols of Ostara are spring flowers, fairies, butterflies, rabbits, and eggs.

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Witch banishing -

In several European folk motifs and festivities, the idea that witches should be banished at Easter is a recurring theme.

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Witch banishing -

The life-draining activities of witches and winter were the antithesis of the arrival of spring and its promise of new life.

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Easter fire -

The Osterfeuer, or Easter Fire, is a celebration in Germany meant to scare away witches at this time of year by lighting large bonfires.

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Christianity -

As Christianity began to sweep across Europe, many pagan festivals and traditions were absorbed and adapted into the Christian faith.

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Christianity -

Many of the pagan customs associated with the celebration of spring eventually became symbols of the resurrection of Jesus.

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Easter date -

The date of Easter changes every year, because it is decided depending on the phases of the moon and not a specific date.

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Easter date -

Easter falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. This makes it a celebration of the seasons, a concept rooted in paganism.

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Osterhase -

The German tradition of the Easter hare, Osterhase, who delivered eggs to good children, began to catch on in the 17th century.

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Osterhase -

The softer-looking bunny became popular in later years, as German immigrants to the US brought their tradition overseas.

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Egg painting -

Still popular today, egg painting first emerged in the Middle Ages. As people would fast during the 40-day run-up to Easter (known as Lent), they began decorating eggs and eating them as a treat on Easter Sunday after mass.

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Today's celebration -

The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany in the 19th century, while in later years confectionary companies created the chocolate eggs we know today.

Sources: (Smithsonian Magazine) (ABC News) (Sky History) (Britannica) (The Guardian) 

See also: Unique Easter traditions around the world

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