Each spring, Easter baskets throughout the world are stuffed with treats, and certain to be among them are chocolate bunnies. How they got there, however, is a fascinating story full of twists and turns. Here’s the untold truth of chocolate Easter bunnies.
Chocolate bunnies are now associated with the Christian Easter holiday, but rabbits have been symbolic of springtime since well before the time of Christ. As Rutgers University religion professor Dr. Diane Shane Fruchtman told Reader’s Digest:
“Rabbits…are longstanding fertility symbols associated with the arrival of spring, because they are so prolific and give birth as soon as the weather warms.”
And while Easter commemorates Christ’s resurrection, some of the trappings of the holiday stem from pagan traditions. Even the term “Easter” is believed to be derived from Ostara, also known as Eostre, a pagan goddess once worshipped by Germanic people. Her sacred animal was, you guessed it, the rabbit.
Pagans worshipped Ostara with an annual celebration of the spring equinox. The holiday and its name remained, but got a whole new meaning among Christians. Some of the original symbols of the ancient pagan festival, such as rabbits and eggs, are still associated with Easter.
Watch the video for more about what to know before eating chocolate Easter bunnies!
#ChocolateBunnies #EasterBunnies #Easter
Pagan roots | 0:19
Father of the bunny | 1:18
They’ve got personality | 2:06
Getting weird | 2:52
Booming business | 3:33
Why they’re hollow | 4:21
Ears first | 5:24
Faux chocolate? | 6:30
8,000 pounds of bunny | 7:27
$49K worth of bunny | 8:28
Competitive bunny eating | 9:11
Assembly required | 10:12
‘Yoga bunny’ controversy | 11:04
SPCA-approved | 11:55
Read Full Article:
