Friday, March 21, 2008

The Tale Of Easter Rabbits

Rabbits are not so much a Christian symbol of Easter as they are a harbinger of Spring. Pagan festivals of spring, or Eastre, were all about the growing fertility of the earth. Nothing spoke stronger to that than the prolific reproduction of the rabbit and hare. Did you know female rabbits can conceive a second litter while still pregnant with the first? Uffdah!

The Easter Bunny was brought to America by German settlers. They told their children the story of the "Oschter Haws," a magical rabbit who would hop by in the night and leave beautifully painted eggs. Children were encouraged to decorate their hats or bonnets like nests and leave them in sheltered places in the house or barn for the rabbit to fill. Americans were thrilled to adopt this tradition and, as we do, have expanded on it.


To see our great selection of Easter rabbits and other animals, click here!

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