What's the history behind the Easter bunny? Is there any connection to Catholic Easter Sunday? Or is this coincidence?

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Well, in pagan culture, Ostara is a time to celebrate the re-birth of nature, of fertility, new life, and growth. EASTER BUNNY - This little guy's a great fertility symbol as well (after all, haven't you heard of something multiplying like rabbits? ).

Rabbits/bunnies are traditionally symbols of fertility, and so they go lumped into the celebration that welcomes new life. EASTER EGGS - So easter eggs, of course are very symbolic of new life. They can be considered lucky, or as little blessings for continued growth, life, and happiness for your family (and your crops, and your livestock as old times may have it).

Thus why kids originally may have gone looking for them. These Pagan traditions morphed into Christian celebrations as Christianity was just starting out, and Pagans were converting their beliefs (not to say there aren't plenty of Pagans around today, *wink wink*). Traditions of Ostara and Easter naturally blended together nicely.

So, in the end it's not so much a coincedence that the Easter Bunny has become an unofficial part of Christian traditions. After all, when you're trying to start a new religion and convert the Pagans over, it's easiest to transition them from what they're already used to, right? In the end it's all about new life, springtime, and good will toward others.

So bring on the chocolate! :) .

No real connection There isn’t a connection between the Easter Bunny and Christian theology (of any flavor I know of). Where the Easter Bunny comes from is that bunnies/hares/rabbits are often associated with fertility. The word Easter comes from Eastre (there are a variety of possible spellings) a Norse goddess of fertility whose festival was celebrated at the Spring equinox.

Hares (or bunnies) were associated with her. My father told me that the egg thing was part of the fertility ritual thing. The reason why we do that, comes from people taking their old traditions with them when they converted to Christianity and then using them for the new Christian holidays.

The rabbit was a symbol of fertility in pagan times Easter, as so many Christian holidays were, may have been adopted from spring festivals. These were intertwined with the concept of fertility. The first that we've known about an actual "Easter Bunny" comes from Germany in the 1500's Sources: associatedcontent.com/article/19144/the_... .

Yes, a direct connection..... Basically, just as Christianity absorbed the pagan winter festival and turned it into Christmas, so they/it (Christianity) has absorbed pagan fertility and renewal Spring celebrations. I wasn't sure of details (the sieve-like memory doesn't generally allow such nicities), so I googled using "easter bunny origin". Well, there's lots of intesting, jolly, pretty (gaudy even) stuff out there.

One the first results page, this holidays.net/easter/bunny1.htm has a little background and lots of jolly lurid colours and fun; this one altreligion.about.com/cs/alchemy/a/mprev... is staid and informative, while this page twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/eas... is very informative and psychedelic! Here's an exerpt from that last page: In pagan times, the "Easter hare" was no ordinary animal, but a sacred companion of the old goddess of spring, Eostre. The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore.

The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season. Since long before Jesus Christ was born, parents told their children that the magic hare would bring them presents at the spring festival. The presents were often painted eggs, as these represented the new life starting at this time of year.

" Hares are animals which look like rabbits, but are larger and in many countries quite rare. In most places, the Easter rabbit (bunny) has replaced the Easter hare completely. The text colour comes from the linked page!

Some irrelevant facts on Easter: In Greece, they dye hen eggs a rich deep blood red colour and have the most brilliant, rather kitch cards and scrapbook images for cockrels, a rising sun and eggs. Sources: googling, my memory etc .

! " "Where did the whole Easter bunny/ hide and find the eggs thing come from... why do we do that? " "How did the Easter Bunny come about?

" "Does the Easter bunny visit your home? " "This does NOT seem like a coincidence to me...How about you? " "What did the Easter Bunny bring to your house?

" "Easter is coming in March. Do your kids have the "Easter Bunny"? ...

Easter is coming in March. Do your kids have the "Easter Bunny"? ...

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.