What Does a Bunny Have to Do with Jesus?

Have you ever wondered "What does the Easter Bunny have to do with the resurrection of Christ?" And "Why is this bunny carrying around eggs?"

" Easter", the day in which Jesus Christ was said to have risen, has roots in Paganism, as do many other celebrated Christian Holidays. Easter was definately not celebrated by Christians first.

Both Christian and Pagans have celebrated the idea of resurrection during the "spring equinox" throughout history. The symbolism of the two have become intertwined over the years. Even in the King James Bible, Act 12, there is a mention of Easter as a celebration, long before Jesus was incorporated into the holiday. This references are of King Herod's celebration of Easter:

Acts 12:4 "And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."

The name Easter itself is said to have been derived from the ancient northern European word for spring "eastre". Which is also similar to the name of the fertility goddess in this region, known as Eastra, or Ostara, as well as many other variations. Throughout the world fertility goddesses were commonly worship in the spring, as this is the time for new beginnings, or 'new life', also, resurrection. Ostara's sacred animal was the hare.

Many religious historians find a parallel between the pagan legend of Attis, who was said to be born of a virgin goddess of fertility, and the moon, Cybele. Attis was celebrated as a god of ever-reviving vegetation, and was believed to have been resurrected each year in the spring. The spring ceremonies began with commemorating the death on a Friday, and celebrating the resurrection on Sunday.

Even earlier than the legend of Attis, we have the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar. Ishtar was said to have fallen into the Euphrates river in an egg, having fallen from the moon. She was an 'immaculate' conception. Isthar was then impregnated by the Sun God Baal. The son she had was called Tammuz. She was worshiped as the "Mother of God and Queen of Heaven".

Tammuz was killed by a wild pig. After his death Ishtar followers would make a sign of a "T" over their hearts while they worshiped, as Christians now make the sign of the cross. Since Isthar was the goddess of the moon, she was celebrated on the first Sunday of the full moon after the spring equinox. Because Tammuz was killed by a pig, they ate pig meat on that day, Christians now traditionally eat ham. They ate sacred cakes with a "T" across the top, similar to our hot cross buns.

Many of the symbols presently attributed to Easter also have pagan roots. What we think of as the Easter Lily, was once treasured by the ancient Romans as a symbol of male fertility. The Eggs which we associate with Easter were symbols used by the Ancient Romans and Greeks to represent fertility and rebirth.

No matter what your personal beliefs are, or how you look at it, there are undeniably folklore links, if you will, between paganism and Christianity.