Thursday, April 1, 2010

Easter Bunny Facts

Do you believe in the Easter Bunny? I do! Yeah!

In legend and old folklore tales, the bunny brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. Some compare the Easter Bunny to Santa Claus.

Why the colored eggs? I did some reading on this and most have no idea. I asked my grandma to see if she might know the real meaning of the colored eggs tradition and she said they represented the changing colors of the flowers during spring time. That made perfect since to me.

Why a bunny though? Why not a fox or maybe a deer? Have you ever wondered why a bunny was chosen to represent Easter? Fear Not, I have the answer. lol It seems fertility has more to do with it than anything else. Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility symbols. Since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox. Vernal Equinox meaning

Rabbits and hares are both prolific breeders. The females can conceive a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first. I bet you didn't know that. This is where the term "to breed like bunnies" come from.

Now you know why bunnies were chosen to represent Easter. Did you learn something from this? I sure did.

Happy trails everyone. :)

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