Ever Wonder about those Easter Traditions your Parents Couldn't Explain?
The Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus roughly coincided with the Teutonic springtime celebrations of the Anglo-Saxon peoples of Northern Europe around the second century A.D., and similarly emphasized the triumph of life over death. In its progress via missionaries throughout this area, Christian Easter gradually absorbed the traditional symbols associated with Eostre, goddess of fertility and spring.
Among these symbols is the hare, long linked to the concept of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America - particularly Pennsylvania - brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs.
In addition to being viewed as symbols of new life and fertility, eggs were forbidden during Lent in medieval Europe. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.
information courtesy of factmonster.com
Among these symbols is the hare, long linked to the concept of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America - particularly Pennsylvania - brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs.
In addition to being viewed as symbols of new life and fertility, eggs were forbidden during Lent in medieval Europe. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.
information courtesy of factmonster.com