why did easter egg hunts begin?
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The Decorated Easter Egg\n\n\nThe egg is nature's perfect package. It has, during the span of history, represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen. It is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world and has been dyed, painted, adorned and embellished in the celebration of its special symbolism.\n\nBefore the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter, it was honored during many rite-of-Spring festivals. The Romans, Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians and Persians all cherished the egg as a symbol of the universe. From ancient times eggs were dyed, exchanged and shown reverence.\n\nIn Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil; pregnant young Roman women carried an egg on their persons to foretell the sex of their unborn children; French brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new homes.\n\nWith the advent of Chrisianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.\n\nOld Polish legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.\n\nAnother Polish legend tells of when Mary Magdalen went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs, lo, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.\n\nDecorating and coloring eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the middle ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of eighteen pence for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gifts.\n\nThe most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.\n\nThe first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown.\n\nThis special Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all.\n\nOrnamental egg designers believe in the symbolism of the egg and celebrate the egg by decorating it with superb artistry. Some use flowers and leaves from greeting cards, tiny cherubs, jewels and elegant fabrics, braids and trims, to adorn the eggs. They are separated, delicately hinged and glued with epoxy and transparent cement, then when completed, they are covered with a glossy resin finish. Although the omens and the mystery of the egg have disappeared today, the symbolism remains, and artists continue in the old world tradition of adorning eggs.
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Actually, the Easter Bunny has everything to do with Easter. \n\nEaster 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.
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German Protestants wanted to retain the Catholic custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, but did not want to introduce their children to the Catholic rite of fasting. Eggs were forbidden to Catholics during the fast of Lent, which was the reason for the abundance of eggs at Easter time.\n\nThe idea of an egg-laying rabbit came to the United States in the 18th century. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhase" (also: "Oschter Haws"). "Hase" means "hare", not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a rabbit.\n\nOnly good children received gifts of colored eggs in the nests that they made in their caps and bonnets before Easter. Presumably, the Oschter Haws laid them when the children were not looking.\n\nA hundred years later Jakob Grimm wrote of long-standing similar myths in Germany itself. Noting many related landmarks and customs, Grimm suggested that these derived from legends of Ostara.
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What started this particular line of inquiry?
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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.
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I know what geocaching is.  I started playing in May of 2002.  So far I have found over 80 caches.  I am also the president of the Manitoba Geocaching Association.\n\nI compare geocaching to 21st century high-tech orienteering.   However, the best quote was on a t-shirt: "I use multi-billion dollar military satellite systems to find Tupperware in a forest."
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http://www.yahoo.com/s/293465\n\n"were out here all night hiding golden eggs all over these grassy fields.  There are over one-hundred of them, and we have a special prize for the character who finds the most"
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I found ALL of them because I am BEAST at egg hunting. :-)
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because they do - directly and indirectly.\nEaster Eggs:\nAccording to the ancient tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church , Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman from whom Christ expelled seven "demons." On Easter morning she was the first to bear witness to his resurrection. She is called "Equal to the Apostles." The Eastern tradition tells us that after the Ascension she journeyed to Rome where she was admitted to the court of Tiberius Caesar because of her high social standing. After describing how poorly Pilate had administered justice at Jesus' trial, she told Caesar that Jesus had risen from the dead. To help explain his resurrection she picked up an egg from the dinner table. Caesar responded that a human being could no more rise from the dead than the egg in her hand turn red. The egg turned red immediately, which is why red eggs have been exchanged at Easter for centuries in the Byzantine East. \nEaster Bunny:\nThe day we celebrate as Easter was formerly a pagan holiday. The church decided to set the date for the resurrection of Jesus at the spring solstice, and then named it for a Celtic pagan feast day they wished to eradicate. It was named for Eostre, the goddess of the spring, and fertility. She was depicted with a white rabbit (the Easter Bunny).
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Before I answer the question I would just like to tip my hat to Mommyofive. Bravo, you know what you believe and why you believe it. You don't see that much these days ammong christians or even ammong my fellow pagans. \n\nTo answer your question Easter (also called oster or Ishtar) was a pagan firtility holiday that had practical uses in the region that it was observed. Keeping the pagan beliefs while changing the emphasis helped to bolster the early church as well as preventing a disruption of the traditions. Personally though, I would have put Xmass there as Jesus was born in Feb or March rather than the middle of winter.
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There was something on last year at Novotel Darling Harbor but it doesn't seem to be held this year. However, there is the Cadbury Easter Picnic on Good Friday at the  International College of Management in Manly which features the World's Biggest Easter Egg Hunt. IT costs between $12.90 and $36.90 for tickets for proceeds for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick. Tickets are available at Ticketek.
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I always get asked if the Easter bunny is real.\n\nI always tell the children to go ask their parents.
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Hi ..It was .."Hide and Seek".. by ..Imogen Heap..\nSeason  starts.. September, 8 ,2006 ...\nKind regards! ..
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First, it is only called Easter in Germanic language countries, in the rest of the world, it is called pascha which means passover from pesach.  Oestara had a celebration during the equinox and Pascha tends to fall near the equinox.  Gradually Christianity destroyed the religion of Oestara but the name remains as a vestige.\n\nSecond, eggs have nothing to do with Christianity, however eggs are a sign of life.  The original Easter eggs were called pysanki and had Christian images on them.  All animal products were banned during the Christian fast to replicate the pre-Noah period.  Easter was the first day Christians could eat eggs so they dedicated them to Christ through art.  The practice of decorating eggs preceeds Christianity but Christianity coopted it.  In fact, Easter basked with eggs, cheese and meat are blessed every Easter morning following the Resurrection services for the first meal of the day.\n\nRabbits reproduce at extraordinary rates, they are a symbol of life and innocence.  It also is the case that a handful of societies worshipped animals and Easter falling near the solstice happens to overlap many other observances.  Christianity co-opted other people symbols to destroy their religion.  They took the bunny over in the process.
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Surely it was the egg
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Go to church, celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  Teach Sunday School.  The children & grandchildren join us for church, Sunday school and the Easter egg hunt that follows service.  Then we go out to eat & visit.
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First there were just a couple of pages linked together.\n\nTim Berners-Lee, CERN\n\nIt was a big boom realy...\nsites came later.\nI would say one of the first sites were  around the search engines. like altavista  n so on.\nit was similar to this one\nhttp://humblefool.net/theproject/www/index.html