The myth behind the Easter bunny

CAIRO - 15 April 2017: Every holiday is associated with an icon symbolizing its significance: Lanterns in Ramadan, Santa Claus during Christmas, the oil lanterns of Hanukah.

With Easter just around the corner, some wonder why it has always been associated with bunnies and eggs - when bunnies don't even lay eggs!

The term “Easter Bunny" usually conjurs an image of a rabbit wearing a pink bowtie holding a basket of eggs and jumping around a green field on a sunny day.

As reported by Time magazine, the Easter Bunny’s origins remain a mystery, and there are many myths which offer theories. One of the most populat theories says the association of bunnies with Easter dates back to the 5th century as Ostara, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, was always accompanied by a rabbit symbolizing fertility every Ostara festival, a celebration held at the beginning spring, History reported.

Bunnies and eggs were featured in the Ostara Festival and, in an attempt to Christianize the festival, Christians started to adopt its traditions. They saw the egg as a symbol of fertility and Jesus' resurrection, according to History.

When Europeans started immigrating to America in the 1700’s, they introduced the tradition of an Easter bunny delivering eggs to children, turning it into a worldwide Easter tradition, according to History.

So, while you’re coloring Easter eggs or indulging on chocolate bunnies this Easter, you can think about the origins of the tradition.