The Easter Bunny

Why did bunnies and chickens become symbols of Easter? How was Easter celebrated in earlier times? What traditions do we have now? What happens outside the White House every Easter?

Accessibility icon The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny

For many, the bunny rabbit has become a symbol of Easter. It lays its eggs in all the colors of the rainbow, and hides them around the house or the garden. On Easter Day, the task is to find as many eggs as possible. In the past, children used to look for decorated hen eggs, but these have been replaced by chocolate eggs or cardboard eggs filled with sweets.

The first written mention about the Easter Bunny, or “Osterhase”, can be found in a German text from 1682. It is also mentioned in a Swiss children’s song from 1789. The tradition of the Easter Bunny probably dates back further than this. In several European cities, the tradition of searching for Easter eggs started in the early 18th century. This shows that the Easter Bunny has lived in folklore for several hundred years. Why does the Easter Bunny hide eggs?

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Why does the Easter Bunny hide eggs?

There are several theories as to why the bunny hides eggs at Easter. The theories are based on myths and hypotheses, but we can’t be certain of the background of the Easter Bunny.

From bird to bunny

In German, Easter is called “Ostern”. The names Easter and “Ostern” come from the Greek goddess Ostara. She was the goddess of spring, and she was linked to eggs and bunnies.

In a tale from Greek mythology, Ostara helps the bird Lepus to transform into a bunny. The god Orion had broken all the eggs, and Lepus asked for help to escape the dangerous hunter. Ostara turned her into a bunny, but Lepus missed being able to lay eggs. It was therefore allowed only during the Easter holiday.

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Far too many eggs

The Protestant cities in Europe started a tradition in the early 16th century. Early on Easter morning the children were to search for Easter eggs in the garden. There were so many eggs that people started to question where they all came from.

Chickens normally don’t lay more than one egg a day, but hares were known for having many bunnies. So, the Easter Bunny got ‘blamed’ for all the eggs.

This was quite a weak explanation, as children at that time were aware of the difference between chickens and hares. The Easter Bunny became a Protestant tradition to explain why there were so many eggs. The truth was that the Catholic practice of fasting made the eggs pile up. During Lent, you were not allowed to eat meat and eggs. The Protestants did not want to teach their children about the Catholic fast, and they came up with the explanation of the Easter Bunny.

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The Easter Bunny in Norway

Many people think that the tradition of the Easter Bunny started in the United States, like Santa Claus drinking Coca-Cola. American toy and sweets manufacturers commercialized the Easter Bunny in the 20th century, and gave it the name “the Easter Bunny”.

However, a woman in Trondheim wrote about playing with Easter Bunnies at the start of the 19th century. The children were convinced that the Easter Bunny was real.

Egg rolling outside of the White House

In the US and other countries “rolling” eggs on Easter Monday is a tradition. This symbolizes how the stone on the grave of Jesus was rolled away.

Egg rolling outside the White House in 1929.  ⮕

Several thousand children are invited to the White House to take part in the egg-rolling activities with the Presidential family and the Easter Bunny every year. They roll eggs on the grass with the help of a big spoon.

The first time a President invited people to this event was Monday 22 April 1878. Since then it has become a tradition. It has only been canceled due to special circumstances, like during the covid pandemic or if the weather has been extremely bad.

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The Easter Chicken

In the Nordic countries, the Easter chicken is extremely popular, whereas in the US and the rest of Europe the Easter Bunny is more common.

The chicken and the egg are symbols of new life. During the darker months chickens lay fewer eggs, but when spring comes, they lay a lot of eggs. This is why we eat a lot of eggs at Easter. The little chicken that breaks out of the eggshell is also a symbol of Jesus who broke out of his grave on Easter Sunday.

The Easter Chicken dominates when it comes to decorating the house for Easter. We can find it on paper eggs, napkins and figurines of all sizes. It can also be found in flower arrangements and quiz books.

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Påskekylling
Påskekylling

Sacrificial lamb

In the Book of Genesis, we can read about when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. Moses managed – with the help of God – to rescue them, but not without drama. The pharaoh would not let them go, so God sent ten plagues upon the land. Among other things, all firstborn Egyptian children were killed. In order for the angel of death to distinguish between Egyptians and Jews, the Jews had to sacrifice a lamb and smear the blood on door frames. The lamb became a sacrifice to save the lives of others.

Pesach 

During Pesach, the Jewish Easter, the Jews continued to sacrifice lambs in the Temple of Jerusalem. The lamb was to be roasted whole and eaten on the same evening with bitter herbs and bread. After the Temple burned down AD 70, the Jews stopped this tradition.

The Jews no longer slaughter Easter lambs, but often use a lamb shankbone as a symbol during the traditional Seder meal. This meal is meant to remind the Jews of the hardship in Egypt.

Lamb of God

In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist calls Jesus the “Lamb of God.” He bore all the sins of the world, and became the new “sacrificial lamb.” Christians should not have to make sacrifices to God, because Jesus was the last sacrifice that opened the way to God.

Easter meal

Many people eat lamb at Easter, but often this has no religious significance. It has become a tradition the same way as Easter eggs and oranges.

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Saueflokk på vei til slakting
Saueflokk på vei til slakting

The Easter witch

According to folklore, the Easter witch is most common in Sweden and Finland. On Thursday before Easter, the Easter witches fly on broomsticks to Blockula to meet the Devil. On Friday, God’s protection is at its lowest, so the witches made sure to cause chaos. To protect themselves, people would burn large fires. This custom came from the Netherlands in the 18th century.

Swedish and Finnish Easter is very different from that in Norway. They eat more fish, and the children dress up as witches and go from house to house to get sweets. Some people also hide everything that can be flown on in case a witch comes. They could even fly backwards on a cow, and that could be prevented by painting a cross on the barn door.

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Heks
Heks

Norwegian Easter in numbers

Easter is important to most people in Norway, and statistics from 2017 show what was most appreciated.

About half of the Norwegians travel to cabins at Easter. Over 1 million people watch the Easter quiz on NRK and watch stories about crime on TV. Large amounts of crime books and quiz books are sold in this period. Before Easter, they sell better than usual.

Easter is of course a Christian holiday, but only 4 percent of Norwegians go to church during the holiday. Easter is a moving holiday, and Easter Day can fall on 35 different dates. At Easter, Norwegians eat 24 million eggs and 300 tonnes of bacon. Norwegians eat three Kvikk Lunsj each during Easter and one orange daily.

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Easter Island

Easter Island is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It belongs to Chile, and is most commonly known for its 887 statues called moai. The island got its name when its first European visitors arrived on Easter Sunday in 1772. Other local names are Rapa Nui (Great Rapa), Te Pito o te Henúa (Navel of the world) or Mata-ki-te-Rangi (Eyes to the sky).

The island was populated in the 13th Century, and the Norwegian archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl believed that the first people came to the island in the 1950s from America. This theory has not been widely supported. DNA research shows that the ancestors were most likely to come from Asia. Only a few hundred people live on the island today.

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Sources:

  • Thuesen, Nils Petter; Thorsby, Erik Stein: Påskeøya i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
    Hentet 24. februar 2021 fra https://snl.no/påskeøya

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