So why are rabbits so ingrained in the traditions of Easter Sunday? And what do they have to do with the resurrection of Jesus?
Actually, nothing. Bunnies, eggs, and fluffy yellow chicks all stem from pagan roots. They were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition of honoring the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Rabbits are used as symbols of fertility, sexuality and Spring.
Rabbit as symbols of Fertility, Virginity and Sexuality
Rabbits and hares have been associated with Mary, mother of Jesus, for centuries. Their association with virgin birth comes from the fact that hares – often confused mistakenly with rabbits – are able to produce a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first.
Rabbits as symbols of Spring and Fertility
Some folklorists have suggested that the Easter Bunny derives from an ancient Anglo-Saxon myth, concerning the fertility goddess Ostara. The Encyclopedia Mythica explains that:
''Ostara is the personification of the rising sun. In that capacity she is associated with the spring and is considered a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children and to amuse them she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit brought forth brightly coloured eggs, which the Greek goddess gave to children as gifts. From her name and rites the festival of Easter is derived.''
The myth of Ostara, then, has become a popular (but unproven) theory for the derivation of the Easter Bunny. Later when Roman Catholicism became the dominant religion in Germany in the 15th century myths of painted eggs and rabbits may have merged with already ingrained pagan beliefs.
In the 18th century, German immigrants took the custom of the Easter Bunny with them to the United States when they settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the University of Florida's Center for Children.
Over the decades the folklore has grown, spread and innovated into a bunny laying eggs tradition over Easter.
In conclusion, to me at least, it is not very clear how rabbits became part of the Easter tradition; maybe through an association to the fertility of Mary, the mother of Jesus, maybe through the pagan tradition of revering the goddess of Ostara, but, it is important to remember that in these legends rabbits are depicted as symbols. Symbols of fertility, virginity and Spring. A symbol is very different to a living and breathing animal.
Caring for a rabbit is a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously. Rabbits eat requiring fresh greens and hay. Rabbits are very cute, but, they poop. Rabbits are territorial and can bite. Rabbits chew cables. And most of all rabbits may need to go to the doctor occasionally.
On the other hand Rabbits make wonderful pets. Buy responsibly.