About Easter, Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny …
Ever wondered where the Easter egg and Bunny came from? These history experts explain …
Many South Africans welcome the Easter long weekend which runs from Friday, March 29 to Monday, April 1 this year, with families either going away on holiday or just staying at home to relax.
But ever wondered what Easter is really about?
According to a definition provided by HISTORY (2024) ‘[e]aster is a very significant date on the Christian calendar and a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’
But where do the Easter eggs and Easter bunny come in?
Although the Bible does not refer to a mammal, specifically the bunny, who brings chocolate-coated eggs and sweets to children who are disciplined, the bunny is nonetheless a famous representation of the religion’s Easter holiday period (HISTORY, 2024). However, the same source revealed that ‘[a]ccording to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called ‘Osterhase’ or ‘Oschter Haws’. Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the United States and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests’ (HISTORY, 2024).
As far as the eggs are concerned, HISTORY (2024) pointed out that, ‘[t]here are many Easter-time traditions with roots that can be traced to non-Christian and even pagan or non-religious celebrations’ while ‘egg decorating may have become part of the Easter celebration as a nod to the religious significance of Easter, i.e., Jesus’ resurrection or re-birth’.
Click here for a more in-depth explanation of Easter.
• Did you know?
The biggest Easter egg to date is almost 8 metres high, weighing a whopping 3.6 tons. ‘It was built out of chocolate and marshmallow and supported by an internal steel frame’ (HISTORY, 2024).
• Source: HISTORY. 2024. When Is Easter 2024? 18 March 2024. [Online]. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter [Accessed 25 March 2024].
