The Easter Bunny: "Cute and Cuddly" or "Deranged Lunatic"?

As a child I always loved Easter. I remember having the time of my life hunting for Easter Eggs around my home and yard.  My parents always put quarters in my eggs so it made the hunt even more thrilling. I felt like a tiny Indiana Jones on my hunt for treasure.

"THERE"S QUARTERS IN THEM EGGS!"



This year I began to think about the Easter Bunny and got a bit confused. I had never really heard the history of our chocolate-loving  bunny mascot and wanted to do some research. The reason I was so concerned was this: What if you had never heard of the Easter Bunny? If you think about what he does, just in the most basic concept, it is wierd. He is a rabbit that goes and kidnaps unborn chickens, paints them and hides them for people to pass by and discover. I mean... WHAT?!

Bring your animals inside this Easter.

All joking aside, I now present the actual reason the Easter Bunny is associated with Easter. The Easter Bunny comes from (Like so many other holiday mascots) a pagan god. This god was called Eastre and she was represented by a rabbit. The rabbit was known as the most fertile creature in existence at the time and therefore it represented new life in Spring.

The modern Easter Bunny came as a tradition in Germany. Germans made edible Easter Bunnies out of sugar and pastries in the 1800's. Finally, Easter gained recognition in America after the Civil War. The Civil War brought about the more modern opinion of religion being about hope and not the fear that God is going to smite the world for their sins any day now. Religous hope allowed for the Easter Bunny to gain popularity and become the colorful, egg hider he is today.

So where did the eggs come from? Well in most cultures the egg represents rebirth. Germans would leave these eggs painted in bright colors for their children to find. They were fun and represented the beginning of spring as well as Jesus' resurrection.

From now on whenever you think about Easter, thank the Germans for brining over their fun, Easter traditions. And, to answer the question in the title, the Easter Bunny is definitely not a threat to you or your dog. Have a fun, safe Easter, and have one more funny Easter picture for the road.