Easter is the highest Feast Day within the Christian Church. It commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday (Karfreitag) and his resurrection on Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag). And while many believers go to church services and observe Christian rituals throughout the week (Karwoche) starting with Palm Sunday, many children can’t wait for the Easter bunny (Osterhase) to arrive and hide eggs for them and bring them Easter basket filled with goodies.
But it wasn’t always the Easter bunny who laid and hid the eggs or at least he wasn’t the only one who was involved in bringing the eggs to the children. It was the fox in Westphalia, the cuckoo in parts of Switzerland, the stork in Thuringia, the rooster in Bohemia, the butterfly or the raven who brought the eggs. Though depending on the source, a hen, a drake (male duck), a crane, or a wood grouse might also be responsible for hiding Easter eggs.
Easter and the Easter Bunny
Connecting eggs with Easter and Jesus’ resurrection is relatively simple: eggs stand for fertility and life and have for a long time. Jesus and specifically his resurrection is also a symbol of life, eternal life that is granted to those who believe in him.
But eggs have also a more practical connection to Easter. During lent Christians were not allowed to consume animal products. But the chickens didn’t stop laying eggs because of it, so people had an abundance of eggs they couldn’t eat until Easter. Instead of throwing the eggs away, they boiled them to store them and by the time Easter arrived they had a nice collection of hard-boiled eggs.
Giving eggs as a tithe to the church (Zinsei) developed in the early Middle Ages. From this custom it is assumed the tradition of giving eggs as gifts derived.
The connection of the bunny and eggs and Easter might not be exactly logical and not reach as far back as the symbolism of the egg but we find the first mention of the Easter bunny in 17th century literature. Hares, rabbits, or bunnies are very fertile and can reproduce up to four times a year, making them an ideal symbol of spring, renewal, and life. How the bunny lays the eggs, hard-boiled no less, is a mystery, one that you can explain to your children however you like.
Easter Fox - Osterfuchs
The Easter bunny might have taken over the majority of egg bringing duty in the last 50 years, but there were areas in Germany, specifically the Schaumburger Land (an area in Southern Lower Saxony and Northern Westphalia) where the eggs were brought by the fox.
Exactly how the fox became associated with Easter and Easter eggs is not entirely clear. Some think that the Easter fox (Osterfuchs) stands in relation to the Pfingstfuchs (Pentecost fox).
On Pentecost (Pfingsten), 50 days after the resurrection, people would walk from house to house, sometimes singing, with a fox (dead or on a leash) and ask for donation. They would normally receive eggs (Pfingsteier) because there was nothing else to give. Everything saved through the winter was gone, harvest time had not yet come, tree fruit was not yet ripe, but eggs were always available. This custom, also called Eierheischen, Eiersingen or Pfingstsingen, is a typical cadging custom. It was mostly young men who went from door to door, especially where unmarried women lived.
Along with this theory goes the fact that the fox was associated with of the red-bearded Nordic God Donar (Thor) because of the fox’s red color. The cadging custom on Pentecost might have developed out of a sacrificial cult around Thor.
The coloring of eggs goes back to early times and can be found in many cultures, not just Christian ones. While we nowadays have artificial colors to dye our eggs, it was natural materials that people used before. Onion skins could be used and gave the eggs a reddish brown color, just like a fox, sometimes called a Fuchsei (fox egg). We also have to remember that there were more foxes than there are now, and it was not uncommon to see Reinecke Fuchs in your backyard, just like you might see bunnies.
Fuchsei is also name of a mushroom that looks like a peeled egg and has the red-brown tint of a fox. In certain regions, Fuchsei or Fossei is used in idiomatic expressions like “von Fosseiern drömen” (von Fuchseiern träumen) or “Du dröömß woll van Fosseiern.” (Du träumst wohl von Fuchseiern.). It is used when somebody is thinking about something impossible or is not paying attention.
Why the Easter Bunny Won
Most people, including myself, have not heard of other animals bringing eggs on Easter but only know the Osterhasen. But why is that? Again, like with many customs, there is no one clear answer. There are many possible reasons as to why the Easter bunny is the main egg-deliverer.
One reason could be that the different animals like the fox or the cuckoo were just too regional to appeal to other parts of the country.
The fox, while he can be cute, is also a predator and will raid a chicken coop. Rabbits too can destroy fields of cabbage and lettuce but they are still not as threatening as a fox. In addition to being a predator, foxes also have the reputation of being sly, clever, and a trickster.
The stork already brings the babies and maybe people wanted to keep him in that role.
Cuckoos, while birds and therefore actually lay eggs, are not easily recognized and also don’t have stellar reputation. They lay their own egg in a different bird’s nest, have them hatch the egg, and then also raise the cuckoo’s chick, all at the cost of their own offspring.
Ravens don’t fare much better. Though they can lay eggs, raven are often viewed as a bad omen.
Butterflies are too small and fragile to transport anything let alone chicken eggs, unless they have very strong magic.
Rabbits and bunnies can also be kept as pets while foxes, ravens, hens, cuckoos and storks rarely fill the role as cuddly pet for children.
It is also possible that the book and sweets / chocolate industry are responsible. Bunnies or rather hares lent themselves to be anthropomorphized, standing on their hind legs, wearing little outfits and glasses. Children’s stories about these non-threatening cute animals were very successful and still are.
Any animal, especially baby animals, can look cute but how do you make an appealing chocolate stork or cuckoo? How do you make a candy fox or raven that are nice looking and recognizable? The easiest would be to make a chocolate bunny. Then you don’t have to worry about appealing to only certain regions and their cuteness makes everybody want to buy them (and eat them).
What are your thoughts on the different egg-bringers? Have you heard of them or others?
Books about Easter and Easter Traditions
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