How eggs laid by bunnies became part of Easter

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WTOP’s Jimmy Alexander reports on how bunnies and eggs became associated with one of the holiest days of the year

Most everyone who celebrates Easter has colored eggs before or been a part of an egg hunt and roll.

So, what is the connection between one of the most sacred holidays in the Christian faith and eggs that were laid by bunnies?

To find answers, WTOP went to an expert.

Candace Buckner, assistant professor of religion and culture at Virginia Tech, said, “In the Pagan world, prior to Christianity, spring festivals often included bunnies or hares because they’re quite productive.”

“This association dovetails into what we think of as the Easter season,” she added.

Buckner said the first mention of the word Easter dates back to the 8th century, in a 725 book called “The Reckoning of Time,” written by a monk named Bede.

“The reason why the ‘Paschal season,’ i.e. the Easter season, is called Easter is because of this goddess, Ēostre,” Buckner said. “She was a Germanic goddess, who somehow made her way to the British Isles, and she was basically worshipped around springtime.”

One thing Bede didn’t mention in his book was the Easter Bunny. The first mention of the Easter Bunny wasn’t until the 19th century.

It wouldn’t be until the 1830s that we get an inkling that there is an Easter Bunny in the same way we think of him now.

“We get that information from, surprisingly, one of the Brothers Grimm,” Buckner said. “One of them writes that the goddess Ēostre had a bird that pulled her chariot.”

In the story, the goddess changed that bird into a rabbit.

“Once a year, (the rabbit) remembers it used to be a bird and lays eggs,” she said with a laugh. “That’s the explanation given for that.”

WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.

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