Why Bunnies?

[Cheesevixen]

Easter (like almost all christian holidays) have a healthy dose of pagan symbolism. Like steeples and their link to the male penis, and Christmas ornaments to the males testicles. Many things from Easter were created from pagan views of rebirth, and sacrificial practices. The very name comes from the Norsemen's Eostur, Eastar, Ostara, and Osta,and the pagan goddess Eostre. This name was commonly intertwined with spring.Egg's stood for new life, bunnies for fertility.....there is a lot of symbolism. Just do some research...I am sure different sites say different things, but what I've said is pretty much the gist of it.

[Meier Link]

Easter (like almost all christian holidays) have a healthy dose of pagan symbolism. Like steeples and their link to the male penis, and Christmas ornaments to the males testicles. Many things from Easter were created from pagan views of rebirth, and sacrificial practices. The very name comes from the Norsemen's Eostur, Eastar, Ostara, and Osta,and the pagan goddess Eostre. This name was commonly intertwined with spring.Egg's stood for new life, bunnies for fertility.....there is a lot of symbolism. Just do some research...I am sure different sites say different things, but what I've said is pretty much the gist of it.

If I remember correctly I beleive that both the rabbit, hare, bunny (which ever you prefer to call them) and the egg are both signs of fratility. It is beleived that the dying of the egg is what sybolizes new life and that after adoption by the Christians the dying of the egg (red) became a trend making new life represnted by the above stated color In other words it resimbles the markings that the yolk gets after fertilization.

But I do know that you are correct in your Anglo-Saxon pagon reference for the most part. If I remember correctly the name is highly tied to German back ground and is also in direct relation to the term "Eostur-monath" which was a month that was listed in the German Calender. A rough time frame gestimates that this month is the equivalant to our calenders April. Given that Germany was pretty much established as an Anglo-Saxon territory it is understandable as to why this time frame is related to an Anglo-Saxon / Germanic Goddess.

Then again I could be wrong on this it has been years since I have even thought to look into the topic.


:edit:
BTW good call on movin this to GC.

[Walter Sobchak]

Seriously, the wikipedia page on Easter can give you a much more detailed answer than anyone here can, or is willing, to give you.

Easter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Easter Bunny - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, despite lacking any evidence, I am encouraged to believe that the Bunny is just an elaborate way to keep people from questioning the bizarre nature of someone coming back to life.