Easter decoration
The Easter Bunny is a character depicted as an anthropomorphic rabbit. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny will either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house for the children to find when they wake up in the morning. The Easter Bunny is very similar in trait to its Christmas holiday counterpart, Santa Claus, as they both bring gifts to good children on the night before their respective holiday. Its origin, mentioned in print as early as 1620, can be traced to the German fertility goddess Ēostre. Rabbits and hares Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility symbols of extreme antiquity. Since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox. The saying "mad as a March hare" refers to the wild caperings of hares as the males fight over the females in the early spring, then attempt to mate with them. Since the females often rebuff the males' advances before finally succumbing, the mating behavior often looks like a crazy dance; these fights led early observers to believe that the advent of spring made the hares "mad."[5] This bold behavior makes the hares, normally timid and retiring animals, much more conspicuous to human observation in the spring. Rabbits and hares are both prolific breeders. The females can conceive a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first. The two litters are born separately.[citation needed] This phenomenon is known as superfetation. Lagomorphs mature sexually at an early age and can give birth to several litters a year (hence the sayings, "to breed like bunnies" or "multiply like rabbits". It is therefore not surprising that rabbits and hares should become fertility symbols, or that their springtime mating antics should enter into Easter folklore.
Size: 5035px × 3334px
Location: Kunzstraße 6, 01127 Dresden, Germany
Photo credit: © Yan Liao / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: anthropomorphic, bunnies, bunnies., bunny, christian, christmas, claus, cultural, culture, day, easter, eggs, festival, festivals, german, germany, hare, holiday, rabbit, santa, sunday, tradition, traditional
