Happy Easter

 

"Oh! Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Easter's on its way!"

Easter is a Christian feast honouring the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While you may be tempted to blame the eggs and bunnies often associated with the holiday on commercialisation, you would be wrong to do so. The Easter tradition is actually much older than you might believe and most of the traditions associated with it originate from a pagan festival celebrating the return of spring.

What do you call ten rabbits marching backwards?
A receding hareline.

Originally, eggs were decorated in festive bright colours to represent the sunlight of spring. People gave them as gifts, exchanged them with loved ones like valentines or rolled them in contests. In Medieval times the servants received eggs at Easter from their masters.

How do you catch a unique bunny?
Unique up on it.

Eggs

Easter eggs are decorated differently around the world. In Greece, crimson eggs honour the blood of Christ. In parts of Germany green Easter eggs are exchanged on Holy Thursday. Austrian artists fasten ferns and tiny plants around their eggs before they are hard-boiled. After the eggs are boiled and the plants are removed interesting whitedesigns and patterns cover the eggs.

What's the difference between a bunny and a lumberjack?
One chews and hops, the other hews and chops.

In Germany and some other countries Easter eggs were blown and hollowed before decorating. Each end of the egg was pierced with a needle and the contents removed by blowing them into a bowl. The hollow eggs were dyed and hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter Week.

Eggs play an important role in Easter games. The Romans ran races on an oval track and awarded eggs as prizes. On Easter morning many children search for eggs the Easter Bunny hides in their house while they sleep. Some communities have giant Easter egg hunts where eggs are hidden in public parks and recreation centres. All the children of the community are invited to find them and often there are prizes for the children who find the most.

Easter Bunny

Another popular game is the Easter Egg Roll. Children see who can roll an egg the greatest distance without breaking it. The most famous egg rolling takes place on the lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C. Every year hundreds of children roll their eggs down the lawn while the President of the United States watches.

What do you call rabbits that marched in a long sweltering Easter parade? Hot cross bunnies.

The Easter bunny came about as a symbol of new life during the spring season because hares and the rabbits were the most fertile animals. The Easter bunny seems to have originated in Germany. German writings mention it in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies were made of pastry and sugar in Germany during the early 1800s.

Why did the magician have to cancel his show?
He'd just washed his hare and couldn't do a thing with it.


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