Chocolate eggs and rabbits on supermarket shelves announce Easter to us in a modern world. But how are rabbits and eggs related to a religious holy day mourning the death of Jesus?
It’s all in the name..
The festival of Easter is named after the goddess, Eostre, the Saxon Goddess of fertility. Eostre’s sacred animal was a rabbit, known for its prolific breeding. The egg is symbolic of life, birth, and at Easter, rebirth.
Pagans would bury coloured eggs in the ground to symbolise their desire for a return of bountiful and colourful vegetation after the barren winter. Rabbits have a reputation as prolific breeders, and symbolise abundance.
How is that connected to Jesus?
First, Pagan religions had a strong connection to nature, and the seasons. They celebrated celestial events such as the Spring Equinox, which occurs at this time of year in the Northern hemisphere.
Second, The Phrygian goddess of fertility, Cybele, had a lover Attis, who was believed to have been born from a virgin and to have died and been resurrected each year around this time.
May religious historians believe that timing of the Equinox and the story of Attis were melded into Christian theology to make it more palatable to future converts to the religion.
How does this lead to gift-giving?
Christians have long given decorated eggs as presents at Easter. The Catholic Church has records mentioning eggs being blessed in the 16th century. It is believed that eggs were offered at church on Good Friday as gifts from villagers to the lords of the manor.
It was in the Victorian era the decorated eggs became gifts for children. The Easter egg hunt was made popular by Queen Victoria using hardboiled, decorated eggs in the German tradition.
The idea of using chocolate eggs came from French and German chocolatiers. Early chocolate eggs were filled with sugar almonds.
If you celebrate Easter, I wish you a happy chocolate-filled one.
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