I did find a number of new and interesting things in my search last night, however. Not only related to the rabbits and eggs (I often heard friends ask over the years why a rabbit would be found with eggs - an explanation at last), but to the name Easter, itself! In a website called "Palos Verdes Patch" there was the winning article (in my personal contest) called "Exploring the Origins of Easter" authored by Shawna Burreson. I'm not sure if Eastern religions celebrate this holiday, or if they do who their goddess might be...maybe I should have asked the Dalai Lama when he visited Albany. OK, I'm kidding - but with his personality he would probably have enjoyed the question. Such a great sense of humor this holy man has...the best giggle... You can read the article in it's entirety here:
Exploring the Ancient Origins of Modern Easter
Named for a goddess whose symbols include rabbits and eggs, Easter is a mix of modern-day religion and pagan pratices.
"Ostara" (Eostre) by Johannes Gertes, painted in 1884. Wikipedia says
the goddess flies through the heavens surrounded by Roman-inspired putti
(angelic babies), beams of light and animals. Germanic people look up
at the goddess from the realm below. The main figure was copied as
Eástre in 1909 by Jacques Reich.
While most Americans celebrate Easter with pastel gift baskets filled
with colored eggs and chocolate bunnies, others know the holiday of
light and rebirth by a different name—Ostara.
Celebrated today as one of the eight sabbats of the neo-pagan religion Wicca, Ostara's roots are as ancient as they are varied. Known by many names, including Eostre, Austre and Eastre, the day is named after a goddess of springtime in almost every culture she was found in, including along the Mediterranean Sea, the British Isles and northern Europe.
The word Ostara itself is of Germanic origin, where she was revered as the Great Mother Goddess. But even goddesses of love and beauty—such as Aphrodite in ancient Greece and Freya of Norse mythology—share several characteristics with Ostara, including her notable companion, the rabbit.
Celebrated at Spring Eqinox on March 21, Ostara marks the day when light is equal to darkness, and will continue to grow. As the bringer of dawn to the world after a long winter, the goddess was often depicted with the hare, an animal that represents the arrival of spring as well as the fertility of the season. In earlier times, a crop's fertility was of significant importance, as was human fertility.
A time of rebirth for nature and all its creatures, when bunnies multiply and buds long dormant are coaxed to blossom by longer days and warmer weather, one of the most revered aspects of Ostara for both ancient and modern observers is a spirit of renewal. Round, endless and full of the promise of life, nothing symbolizes renewal more perfectly than the egg.
In Germanic traditions, it is said that Ostara healed a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare. Still partially a bird, the hare showed its graditude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts.
With so many cultures honoring a springtime goddess, countless ways exist to celebrate it, especially when it comes to eggs. For some, it was customary to bake a cake out of them. Still well known today, the saying "that takes the cake!" is actually based on cakes prepared for a traditional Easter celebration in the old days in Ireland and Scotland, acording to Kindling the Celtic Spirit by Mara Freeman.
Touted as a symbol of the abundance of spring, the cake was often decorated with flowers and animals—both real and imaginary—and placed at a crossroads, where people danced around in a circle vying for the title of best dancer. The winner's prize was the cake.
Another way to pay homage to the goddess is simply by connecting to nature. Irish Celtics held a deep reverance for nature that carried over to Christian times, and they believed trees were among nature's most sacred beings. Many of their heros were named after trees, and it was once illegal to cut certain trees down.
Taking a walk, going for a picnic, gardening or even planting a tree are all ways modern observers of Ostara can celebrate the holiday. For many, enjoying nature just isn't the same without a crackling fire, and that's probably as true today as it was in olden times. Luckily, bonfires were also a huge tradition wherever Ostara was celebrated.
Not only did fires siginify the new light brought into the world, the burning of wood released the spirit of the trees and assured fertile lands for future harvests.
While many of these celebrations were practised alongside Christian Easter traditions, they were eventually replaced by the new religion, which shared strong similarities to earlier pagan festivals, such as Roman ones around the spring equinox in 200 B.C. honoring Cybele and the resurrection of her consort, the god Attis.
A later version of the Greek god, Dionysus, Attis was known for being born to a virgin mother and for the remarkable fact that he was reborn every year.
No matter what country or century it's practiced, Easter has managed to retain the same spirit of renewal, rebirth and the return of light. Whether a religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ or a time for family to get together, decorate some eggs and revel in all things bunny related, the true meaning of springtime lives on today.
Celebrated today as one of the eight sabbats of the neo-pagan religion Wicca, Ostara's roots are as ancient as they are varied. Known by many names, including Eostre, Austre and Eastre, the day is named after a goddess of springtime in almost every culture she was found in, including along the Mediterranean Sea, the British Isles and northern Europe.
The word Ostara itself is of Germanic origin, where she was revered as the Great Mother Goddess. But even goddesses of love and beauty—such as Aphrodite in ancient Greece and Freya of Norse mythology—share several characteristics with Ostara, including her notable companion, the rabbit.
Celebrated at Spring Eqinox on March 21, Ostara marks the day when light is equal to darkness, and will continue to grow. As the bringer of dawn to the world after a long winter, the goddess was often depicted with the hare, an animal that represents the arrival of spring as well as the fertility of the season. In earlier times, a crop's fertility was of significant importance, as was human fertility.
A time of rebirth for nature and all its creatures, when bunnies multiply and buds long dormant are coaxed to blossom by longer days and warmer weather, one of the most revered aspects of Ostara for both ancient and modern observers is a spirit of renewal. Round, endless and full of the promise of life, nothing symbolizes renewal more perfectly than the egg.
In Germanic traditions, it is said that Ostara healed a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare. Still partially a bird, the hare showed its graditude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts.
With so many cultures honoring a springtime goddess, countless ways exist to celebrate it, especially when it comes to eggs. For some, it was customary to bake a cake out of them. Still well known today, the saying "that takes the cake!" is actually based on cakes prepared for a traditional Easter celebration in the old days in Ireland and Scotland, acording to Kindling the Celtic Spirit by Mara Freeman.
Touted as a symbol of the abundance of spring, the cake was often decorated with flowers and animals—both real and imaginary—and placed at a crossroads, where people danced around in a circle vying for the title of best dancer. The winner's prize was the cake.
Another way to pay homage to the goddess is simply by connecting to nature. Irish Celtics held a deep reverance for nature that carried over to Christian times, and they believed trees were among nature's most sacred beings. Many of their heros were named after trees, and it was once illegal to cut certain trees down.
Taking a walk, going for a picnic, gardening or even planting a tree are all ways modern observers of Ostara can celebrate the holiday. For many, enjoying nature just isn't the same without a crackling fire, and that's probably as true today as it was in olden times. Luckily, bonfires were also a huge tradition wherever Ostara was celebrated.
Not only did fires siginify the new light brought into the world, the burning of wood released the spirit of the trees and assured fertile lands for future harvests.
While many of these celebrations were practised alongside Christian Easter traditions, they were eventually replaced by the new religion, which shared strong similarities to earlier pagan festivals, such as Roman ones around the spring equinox in 200 B.C. honoring Cybele and the resurrection of her consort, the god Attis.
A later version of the Greek god, Dionysus, Attis was known for being born to a virgin mother and for the remarkable fact that he was reborn every year.
No matter what country or century it's practiced, Easter has managed to retain the same spirit of renewal, rebirth and the return of light. Whether a religious holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ or a time for family to get together, decorate some eggs and revel in all things bunny related, the true meaning of springtime lives on today.
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