tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post3630901038812665774..comments2022-04-11T01:28:17.873-07:00Comments on A Blog of Beasts!: Easter Bunny- Christian, Pagan? Probably Both.Animals in the Middle Ageshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10809281152134119502noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-50133487892757356022010-11-15T06:47:56.524-08:002010-11-15T06:47:56.524-08:00Although we have seen rabbits have important Chris...Although we have seen rabbits have important Christian symbolism in the Middle Ages (e.g. the rabbits of the resurrection or the Trinitarian rabbits), my suspicion is that the tradition of the Easter Bunny as such is rather more recent, probably 19th century. Have a look at Leigh Eric Schmidt, <i>Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays</i> (1997), p. 222. He talks about the ways in which a number of our current traditions took shape over the course of the 19th century, including those associated with Easter. By this point, worrying about whether something was pagan had gone through a long history of forgetting and (re)remembering. The 19th century was particularly enamored of all things "folk," eager to invent them (e.g. tartan clan patterns, fairy tales, witches) if they didn't already exist. The same seems to have been the case with the Easter Bunny, as well as other current "Christian" icons, like Santa Claus.<br /><br />RLFBAnimals in the Middle Ageshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10809281152134119502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4176769156825838190.post-65536170606650784122010-11-10T10:55:31.602-08:002010-11-10T10:55:31.602-08:00I've always heard that many Christian customs ...I've always heard that many Christian customs (including the Easter bunny and the timing of certain festivals) sprang from pagan ones. It seems to be pretty well accepted in certain cultures, so you can probably find lots of support for it!<br /><br />It's worth mentioning, however, that one could also argue that these borrowed traditions complement that religious meanings of Easter (rebirth, for instance, is an easy complement to fertility). If these early Christians were picking and choosing, presumably they chose the symbols that were most in line with the theology.Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035944042961181003noreply@blogger.com