Easter, Bunnies, and Eggs -- What's the Connection?

How exactly did bunnies and eggs get mixed up into a holiday honoring Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection?

Were there little bunnies hopping around Jesus on the cross, something he could talk to in order to take his mind off the pain? Did Mary, the mother of Jesus, slip him a hard-boiled egg to keep his strength up?

I couldn't figure it out as a kid, and when I brought it up with my Christian friends, suddenly the topic got changed. Finally, after all these years, I have figured it out on my own.

Turns out, some sort of springtime celebration has been celebrated in all faiths and religions since the beginning of time. These celebrations acknowledge and welcome springtime. Well, if you had been half-starving in a hut eating potatoes for two months, you'd get pretty excited about springtime too.

The name "Easter" is derived from "Eostre", the great mother goddess of the Northern European Saxons. It could also have been derived from the Norse goddess of fertility, Ostern, Eastur, or Ostare. These names came from the ancient word for spring, "eastre".

Oh, so there is the rabbit-egg connection. Both rabbits and eggs symbolize fertility and the renewal of the earth at springtime. Pagans used these symbols, and Christians kind of incorporated them into Easter, probably to draw pagans to their celebrations, and to make them feel comfortable in their new religion.

The roots of Easter actually lie in three different religions - Pagan, Hebrew, and Christian. We have already discussed pagan origins, but there are more.

Easter is undeniably connected to the Jewish Passover. Remember, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples in the upper room, where he began the communion remembrance? Passover, or "Pesach" commemorates the freedom of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. Interestingly enough, Jews break bread together at this time (as Jesus did with his disciplines), and eat a roasted egg, "Baytza", representing fertility.

It seemed like a no-brainer for Jews-turned-early-Christians to celebrate Easter. They were certainly used to a major religious holiday around this time of year.