What is the history behind celebrating easter with a rabbit?

James: What is the history behind celebrating easter with a rabbit?
Hi, yeah I know what easter is really about. The resurrection of Jesus Christ. But how did we get a holiday about a rabbit from that I really don’t get it. Anyone care to explain how and why people celebrate easter by coloring eggs and stuff. (When rabbits don’t lay eggs, another thing which I don’t get) Anyway please tell me. And remember that easter is really about us being saved by Jesus.

Answers and Views:

Answer by KC
Rabbits and eggs are both symbols of the fertility goddess Eostre/Easter/Ishtar/Ostara. Her symbol is also the moon, in which some cultures see a rabbit instead of a face. Eggs also symbolize the moon and are the ultimate symbol of creation and new life. The basket is a symbol of the womb in which this new life is carried.

There is a lovely legend about the moon goddess Eostre, in which she came upon a dying bird. To save its life, she turned it into a rabbit, her strongest symbol. It lived but continued to lay eggs. In gratitude for its life, the rabbit gives her some of the eggs every year.

The feast day is pagan and was widely celebrated way before the time of Jesus. Like pretty much all holidays, it was adopted by Christians to help get more converts. However, since the point is to celebrate new life and the hope of continuance, Christian symbols of a Resurrection day and the old pagan symbols mean the same thing. Just like Christmas, we are all celebrating the same thing, just using different symbols.

Answer by Sheeni
Easter was the pagan god of fertility in ancient Babylon. it is believed that she came down from the sky and when she rested upon the water, to prove that she was a god, she turned a bird from the sky into an egg laying rabbit. the celebration of easter is a pagan holiday and was adopted by christianty as a cute way to get people to join their religion. as for eating a ham on easter sunday, that is in rememberance of tamus the son of the sun god who was killed by a wild boar while hunting. and dying easter eggs comes from priests impregnating young virgins and taking the infants and killing them and dipping the eggs in their blood.

Answer by Wesley B
The easter Bunny was a symbol of fertility this really has nothing to do with the Christian holiday It originally symbolized the Goddess Astaroth. “Easter” was stolen from the goddess Astaroth by the church with the intent of converting pagans. It was originally Originally known as “Ashtar.” This holiday coincides with the Vernal Equinox of spring when day and night are of equal length. Known as “Eastre” to the Anglo-Saxons. As the Goddess of fertility, she was associated with rabbits and eggs. The Christians stole this holiday and twisted its meaning. Other names include: Easter, Eastre, Eos, Eostre, Ester, Estrus, (Estrus is when an animal goes into heat; mating season) Oestrus, Oistros, and Ostara. The “Lamb of God” (refereed to as Jesus on this holiday) was stolen from the Zodiac sign of Aries the Ram which occurs every spring.
Source(s):
www.exposingchristianity.com

Answer by William
Screw all those who claim Easter is a lie. The bunny symbolizes the innocence of Jesus Christ when he crucified three days before- pure white means innocence.
Birds coming out of an egg represent Jesus coming out of his tomb.