Because the world operates in seasons and cycles virtually everything that we do has been done before at the same season and often for different but similar reasons.  Easter is an excellent example of this phenomenon.  Before Christianity began, there were seasons centered around springtime and the rebirth of the earth from the “death” of winter.  In Europe the spring party celebrated the fertility of the earth and the greening of the world. 

An English Monk known as the Venerable Bede has been a very observant historian of pre-Christian and early Christian England.  He noted in 731ad that in the early days of pagan England the month that we know now as April was called Eosturmonath orEostre Month.  It was the month of the year dedicated to the Goddess Eostre who was the pagan goddess of fertility.  Her symbol was that of a hare or a rabbit for obvious reasons.  Her celebration was associated with the vernal equinox which is a prime driver of the celebration of the Passover.  So because a major astronomical event was key to a number of different celebrations, those celebrations became intermingled over time with the migration of peoples and cultures.

Outside of Germany, in much of Europe, the Christian season that we call Easter was known by its more Jewish name of Pasch since the Jewish Dispersion had placed Jewish communities over much of what we now know as Europe and non Jewish people became familiar with the Jewish celebration of Passover.  In England and Germany, the more ancient pagan name became the cultural standard.  According to Jacob Grimm, one of the Brothers Grimm who chronicled many of the cultural icons of our history noted that what had originally been the symbol of a pagan goddess eventually became Christianized as the Easter Rabbit.  Do you wonder why they call him Peter Rabbit?  He was named for the first Apostle.

There are some Christian people who are horrified that Christianity’s most sacred day has a name that is so closely associated with a pagan festival.  I personally find the name Easter to be a wonderful reminder that all of us came to Christianity from a place of our own conversion.  Calling the holiday Easter is a reminder that Christianity is a religion of conversion.  None of us are born Christians.  We come to it by being reborn.  Just as Eostre the pagan holiday became the Christian Holiday par exellance.

It makes sense that after a long, cold, northern winter, it is natural enough for people to celebrate themes of resurrection and rebirth according to the best of their understanding. The flowers are blooming, birds are laying eggs, and baby bunnies are hopping about.  As new life emerges in spring, the Easter Bunny hops back once again, providing a longstanding cultural symbol to remind us of the cycles and stages of our own lives.  It also reminds us that, in the end, Christ conquers all.