In the European Catholic tradition, the hare bringing Easter eggs is one of the main symbols of the spring holiday. It is believed that the hare was associated with the goddess of the spring rebirth of life and fertility, Ostara, even in ancient Germanic cults (hence the German name for Easter - Ostern). The egg as the source of life and the hare as a fertile animal that fulfills the role of the messenger of the mother goddess have been woven into one strong tradition for many centuries, displacing other variations from custom - for example, the cuckoo, rooster and fox. According to one of the fragmentary legends that have come down to us, the goddess of fertility herself turned her constant companion - a bird - into a hare. The animal changed its appearance, but did not stop bearing eggs.
The Easter story was first documented in 1682 by the German physicist and botanist Georg Frank von Frankenau. In his treatise On Easter Eggs, he spoke about the tradition that adults and children of several German lands observed every year. The hare, according to his research, was considered an agile secret guest who tossed painted eggs to private plots, while young Germans looked for gifts in secluded corners of grass and bushes. In German families, the tradition is maintained today practically unchanged.
Although the history of the Easter bunny dates back to pagan culture, the animal also has a symbolic meaning for the Christian tradition. In Byzantium, the hare was one of the symbols of Christ, later its image was associated with defenseless believers who unconditionally trust the Savior. To the holiday itself in honor of the resurrection, such interpretations, perhaps, have an indirect relationship.
Maria Buneeva, expert at the German Children's Online University