Monday, April 11, 2011

Easter Eggs 7 - The Easter bunny

Easter is less than two weeks away, Palm Sunday is fast approaching.  We see the typical consumerism in the stores: brightly colored eggs, tons of candy, and fluffy white bunnies everywhere.  Bunnies?  What on earth do bunny rabbits have to do with Easter?
Amazingly enough, the Easter bunny has its origin as a pagan symbol of fertility and new life.  As the pagans honored the bunny in the Spring around Easter time, it only made sense for Christianity to Christianize the bunny - God's goodness encompasses all His creatures, including those fuzzy long eared jumpers that make absolutely delicious stews, and a very traditional Italian Easter dinner.  Similarly, in my own family it would have been more traditional to eat lamb, in honor of the Lamb Who Was Slain.
What is fun is that the German tradition of Easter bunnies includes their actual laying of colored eggs on Easter - what a miracle!  So in my own eggs I chose red eggs, for the Blood of Christ, as these are traditionally given out in the Eastern Catholic Church on Easter.  Christ's Blood and New Life always go together.
Unfortunately, this is my last set of eggs this year - I have neither the time or energy to make an eighth set, which would be fitting symbolism for Easter.  Next year, perhaps!  Have a happy continuation of Lent, and an equally Happy Easter.





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