Tell me about rabbits and colorful eggs in Easter?
354654
It is the continuation of folk traditions from the days when Christianity was not the biggest religion in Europe.\n\nThe rabbit is the sacred animal of the Goddess Ostara (Eostre), Goddess of the Spring Equinox, for whom Easter is named (nothing Christian about the name "Easter").  The rabbit symbolizes fertility.  The male rabbit who lays eggs breaks the laws of species (mammals don't lay eggs) and sex (males don't either), to symbolize the power of the Goddess of Spring Fertility to transcend the limitations of the world.  The eggs are symbols of the soul, and the coloring of them goes back to the pre-Christian worship, at the Spring Equinox, of the sacred relationship of the soul to the fertility of the natural world.\n\nLike the Christmas Tree, when Europeans became Christian, they couldn't bear to part with their traditional folkways, so they put a thin veneer of Christianity on top.
343772
A stuffed Easter bunny , plastic colored eggs, baby toys, and suckers.
466994
Well not much going on tmo.  However, Sunday is to be a full day........A picnic to coincide with the egg hunt.\nFollowed by chocolate, jelly beans, and more chocolate!\nWhuts goin' on in your back yard?\nHappy Bunny Day folks!
580435
delicious\n\ni love easter candy...those reese eggs are my all-time favorites!
431866
Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and others
1045743
Only with great difficulty.\n\nSee http://www.davros.org/misc/easter.html
374008
Here comes Peter Cottontail\nHoppin' down the bunny trail,\nHippity hoppity,\nEaster's on its way\n\nBringin' ev'ry girl and boy\nA basketful of Easter joy\nThings to make your Easter\nBright and gay\n\nHe's got jelly beans for Tommy\nColored eggs for sister Sue\nThere's an orchid for your mommy\nAnd an Easter bonnet too. Oh! \n\n \n\nHere' comes Peter Cottontail\nHoppin' down the bunny trail\nHippity hoppity\nHappy Easter Day\n\nLook at him hop and listen to him say,\n"Try to do the things you should"\nMaybe if you're extra good\nHe'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way\n\nYou'll wake up on Easter morning\nAnd you'll know that he was there\nWhen you find those choc'late bunnies\nThat he's hiding ev'rywhere, Oh!\n\nHere' comes Peter Cottontail\nHoppin' down the bunny trail\nHippity hoppity\nHappy Easter Day.
253740
Father Christmas brings mine,in august on a hefferlimp { it's got a poorly flipper }..\nIn England we all get easter eggs { Chocolate,all sizes } in Holland they hide hard boiled eggs and you have to find them.. It can get a bit messy,stinky if you live on a farm..
379342
What do these all have to do with Christianity?  The answer is, NOTHING! People find it hard to believe that the traditions for their favorite holidays didn't originate with that holiday. Easter is the Christian celebration of the rebirth of Jesus. The holiday was set at this time of the year because it coencides with Passover, a Jewish tradition remembering the night when the angel of death came and killed the sons of Egypt.  It also conincided with the pagan celebration of the Spring Equidox, and the coming of Spring. \n\n The traditions of modern Easter, though, are very Pagan. The name of easter is linked to the goddess Ester, of firtility. Some of her symbols were: rabbits, young animals (such as chicks), eggs, and chocolate. (Do these seem familiar?) When christians would convert pagans, they would bring some of their traditions with them. There are many other influences in this holiday as well.\n\nDitto with the oriigns of Christmas.  If you study the Bible, and the climate of the Middle East, topography etc.  you will find that Jesus was most likely born in the Spring,and not December 25.  So what's with celerbrating Chirstmas 24 ~ the Winter Solstice ~ you've got it ~ another orginal Pagan holiday!
301068
Easter is derived from an ancient Germanic name for the month of April, Eostremonat--or rather Eostre Month, in dedication to the goddess Eostre. Eostre, or Ostara was a German goddess of fertility and her return was marked by the coming of spring and the sun. The Ost in her name refers to the East--the rising of the sun. The rebirth of the day and the rebirth of the spring were her specialties, and her celebrations occured during the vernal equinox--the first day of spring. Of course calendar dates have gotten juggled about for quite a few different reasons over time and now April is no longer where it once was on the calendar at what is now March 21st.\n\nThe rabbit was a traditional symbol of the goddess because of its great fertility, and the fact that the coming of spring marked the time when all of the little bunnies were seen starting to be born.\n\nWhen Christianity became the predominant religion it was an easy transition to introduce the rebirth of the Christ figure into the already extant birth and rebirth tradition. Old ways die hard, and the bunny stuck around. \n\nAlthough there are several explanations for the eggs the Easter bunny brings, (other than eggs are another traditional symbol of birth/rebirth) the most likely is that eggs were forbidden during the fast of lent, and were decorated and eaten in abundance to mark the end of the fast.\n\nGerman protestants although breaking with Roman Catholocism liked the egg tradition and kept it. And when German immigrants came to America, they brought with them the traditions of the Osterhase (Easter hare) and his eggs.\n\nInasmuch as Christianity has stolen the ancient goddess' name for their own holiday, it seems only fitting that its original mascot still puts in an appearance each year.
420919
Easter is derived from an ancient Germanic name for the month of April, Eostremonat--or rather Eostre Month, in dedication to the goddess Eostre. Eostre, or Ostara was a German goddess of fertility and her return was marked by the coming of spring and the sun. The Ost in her name refers to the East--the rising of the sun. The rebirth of the day and the rebirth of the spring were her specialties, and her celebrations occured during the vernal equinox--the first day of spring. Of course calendar dates have gotten juggled about for quite a few different reasons over time and now April is no longer where it once was on the calendar at what is now March 21st.\n\nThe rabbit was a traditional symbol of the goddess because of its great fertility, and the fact that the coming of spring marked the time when all of the little bunnies were seen starting to be born.\n\nWhen Christianity became the predominant religion it was an easy transition to introduce the rebirth of the Christ figure into the already extant birth and rebirth tradition. Old ways die hard, and the bunny stuck around. \n\nAlthough there are several explanations for the eggs the Easter bunny brings, (other than eggs are another traditional symbol of birth/rebirth) the most likely is that eggs were forbidden during the fast of lent, and were decorated and eaten in abundance to mark the end of the fast.\n\nGerman protestants, although breaking with Roman Catholocism and the tradition of the lent fast, liked the egg tradition and kept it. And when German immigrants came to America, they brought with them the traditions of the Osterhase (Easter hare) and his eggs.\n\nInasmuch as Christianity has stolen the ancient goddess' name for their own holiday, it seems only fitting that its original mascot still puts in an appearance each year.
94574
I have some spoiled easter eggs from last year \nand coconuts ;-)
348118
The Easter bunny is a symbol of fertility and rebirth, so I'm told. And a similar line of thought is also applied to the symbolism of Easter eggs. \n\nThe Easter bunny as an entity of itself does not exist, but it is a way to get kids interested in the holiday of Easter and as they get a little older (7+ or so), the real meaning of Easter can be introduced and comprehended by the child. \n\nI do have a vision of what I pictured the Easter bunny to look like when I was little, and it was something along the lines of the man in the Easter bunny costume that I saw at the mall. \n\nI have a lot of awesome Easter memories from my childhood. It did not hurt me to believe in both the Resurrection of Christ AND the Easter bunny. One I outgrew, the other is still with me. Happy Easter to you and your family!
438748
most kids think easter bunny when they think of easter.  It is supposed to be a day of religion but most people eat chocolate and hide eggs.
338325
Rabbits and Easter eggs have about as much to do with easter as christmas and easter have to do with christianity. Absolutely nothing.On December 25 Tammuz was born, the son of Nimrod (who I believe to be Satan)& Semiramis the sun goddess. Tammuz was killed by a wild boar thats why people eat their easter ham.The sun worshipers would weep over his death every year it was celabrated the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Eggs and rabbits were used to celibrate new life. Christmas and Easter never were Christian holidays to begin with neither is Sunday a sabbathday. Saturday is the Sabbathday.Most of the world will follow after the beast.
714832
"Easter" is a variation of the name "Astarte" - a fertility goddess of some ancient civilization (Babylonian?  Assyrian?  Other?).  What better symbol of fertility than bunnies and eggs (I don't know why we dye them and hide them)?
418406
Easter was a pagen holiday, for fertility. I know this is cliche, but have you ever heard the term "Multipling like rabbits"? Ergo - Bunnies. I am not entirely certain that is why the bunny is there, but I am certain easter was a fertility holiday.