Easter is a religious holiday second only to Christmas which commemorates the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven. Christians around the world have celebrated it for centuries. Today it has come to be equated with bunnies and colored eggs, but did you ever wonder why? How does the Easter bunny and eggs commemorate the ascension of Christ into Heaven?
To learn how this relationship came about, you have to travel way back in time. Many religions have long celebrated during the spring since it's the time when life starts to reappear. Baby animals are born and crops start growing during this time. Even ancient people with pagan beliefs celebrated the coming of spring. Eastre was a fertility goddess worshipped in the Saxon culture. Since rabbits have a reputation for being very fertile, they became associated with the celebration prominently.
During the 2nd century A.D., Christian missionaries travelled trying to convert the pagan people to their religion. These missionaries adapted certain festivals and customs into Christian holidays in order to attract pagans to their religion. Since the resurrection of Christ and the celebration of Eastre occured during the same time, the two were combined and the sacred rabbit was included.
People changed Eastre to Easter over the years. The lamb and the rabbit were symbolic innocent creatures that stood for Christ's sacrifice for man.
As we know it today, you would find the origins of the Easter bunny in 1500s Germany. Children believed that they would receive a basket full of colored eggs from a magical rabbit if they were good during this time. This was a custom which Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants brought to the new world during the 1700s.
People have considered eggs to be a sign of rebirth since the earliest years A.D.. In the 600s, the then-Pope Gregory the Great put a ban on eating eggs during the period of Lent which is the 40 days immediately preceding Easter. Therefore, when Easter arrived and people could eat eggs again, they considered them a special treat. Although some of the tradition has been cut out from modern society, we still make use of decorated eggs for the occasion. Doc No.azlcssaeh-sdgfhkl
Kristie Brown writes on a variety of topics from health to technology. Check out her websites on Hair loss treatments for women and Used tanning beds for sale
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