How Is Osterhase Similar to the Easter Bunny?

The idea of an egg-giving hare went to the U.S. in the 18th century. Protestant German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the “Osterhase” (sometimes spelled “Oschter Haws”). Hase means “hare”, not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the “Easter Bunny” indeed is a hare.

The actual Easter bunny legend is rooted in German tradition. A legend holds that a poor woman living in Germany decorated colorful eggs for her children to find in the garden. As soon as the hidden eggs were found by the children, a large hare was seen hopping away. The children thought the hare (Hase) left the eggs.

According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs.

The story of the Easter Bunny is connected to Pagan tradition, and is thought to have become common in the 19th Century. Rabbits usually give birth to a big litter of babies (called kittens), which are seen as a symbol of new life.

The exact origins of the Easter bunny are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre—a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolized fertility.

The actual Easter bunny legend is rooted in German tradition. A legend holds that a poor woman living in Germany decorated colorful eggs for her children to find in the garden. As soon as the hidden eggs were found by the children, a large hare was seen hopping away. The children thought the hare (Hase) left the eggs.

As part of the legend, the creature carries colored eggs in its basket, as well as candy, and sometimes toys, to the homes of children. As such, the Easter Bunny again shows similarities to Santa (or the Christkind) and Christmas by bringing gifts to children on the night before a holiday.

So why does the Easter bunny bring eggs? According to Discovery News, since ancient times, eggs and rabbits have been a symbol of fertility, while spring has been a symbol of rebirth. So even though rabbits don’t lay eggs, the association of these symbols was almost natural.

The Easter bunny and Easter eggs originated as pagan symbols of spring and rebirth. Over the centuries, these ancient symbols became associated with the Christian holiday of Easter such that the two traditions have merged together to become what some celebrate today.

In Germany in the 1700s children would build nests, and leave carrots out for the “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws” – the Easter bunny. Legend has it that the Easter Bunny lays, decorates and hides eggs for good children, as they are also a symbol of new life.

The history of the Easter bunny has almost nothing to do with Easter beyond marketing. There aren’t any mentions of bunnies, fluffy yellow chicks, baskets of goodies, or chocolate in the Biblical story of Easter, let alone in terms of the resurrection specifically.

Featured Photo By Messy Church USA