|
Rabbits and Easter – what’s the significance |
|
|
|
|
Written by MyPetFriends
|
|
Sunday, 23 March 2008 |
 Easter is the Christian religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus, but as with many religious festivals the original meaning is fast becoming lost amongst the commercialisation and marketing of the event. Today, it could be true to say that people may associate Easter more with chocolate eggs and the Easter Bunny. But why exactly did rabbits become associated with Easter?
-
The Easter Bunny is essentially a mythological rabbit who brings sweets and chocolate in the shape of eggs to children during the Easter holidays. The Easter bunny, or really hare, has its origin in pre-Christian Pagan fertility lore, where the hare was associated with the festival celebrating the goddess Eostre, also known as Eastre or Ostara. It is from this that the word Easter is derived. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season. (OK, so now you’re wondering what the difference is between a hare and a rabbit – rabbits live underground in burrows, hares live above ground in shallow nests.)
-
At Easter children enjoy visiting pet shops to see the pet rabbits on offer and may be tempted to ask for a pet house rabbit. Please do consider purchasing a pet rabbit very carefully as there are a number of considerations that you must make when taking on any pet. For more information about buying or caring for a rabbit, see Kitty and Teddy’s Pet Help and Pet Tips pages.
-
 Add as favourites (0) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 1238
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
Pet News 
