GREENSBORO, N.C. — You know the routine. You dye the eggs, you get the basket and the good ol Easter bunny pays you a visit. But where did these traditions come from?
Lets start with the eggs. According to our friends at Mental Floss.com the egg idea started with ancient pagans who used eggs to symbolize rebirth and new life. Makes sense since Spring is a season of rebirth when all the plants etc come back to life.
Back in those days, the beginning of the growing season was a celebration and people gave eggs as a symbolic gift. Of course, all of this happened around Easter. So, the connection was made.
Now, Time magazine said that the Germans brought the idea of the Easter Bunny to the U.S. many years ago. The ancient pagans celebrated a goddess of fertility named Eostre and since rabbits are known for their prolific reproductive rate, the rabbit became a symbol of the season of new birth.
How about those Easter baskets? Mental Floss says that the baskets were originally viewed as a nest. You can see how that connection was made since they are similar in structure. The nest was put out by the kids for the mythical bunny to place her eggs in.
And as Paul Harvey would say, Now you know the rest of the story.