Ever wonder why we do what we do for most major holidays? Easter is no exception. This year, as you take time to ponder the significance of this holy holiday, Take time to learn why we also take part in these secular tradtions.

The Easter Bunny

Of all the symbols of Easter, none is more beloved than the Easter Bunny. And none has a more varied background than this floppy-eared candy deliveryman.

The first documented use of the Easter Bunny as an Easter symbol appears in Germany in the 1500s, although it was probably a much earlier folk tradition. It was also the Germans who made the first edible Easter Bunnies in the 1800s.

The Pennsylvania Dutch brought the beneficient Easter Bunny to the United States in the 1700s. Children eagerly awaited the arrival of Oschter Haws and his gifts with a joy second only to that brought by the winter visit of Kris Kringle.

Celtic traditions views the hare as a symbol of fertility, and Germans taught that the hare brought new life each spring. Even in North America, the Rabbit/Hare is revered. To native Americans, he was the Trickster/Transformer who either plays the Fool or, in other instances, brought about a benefit for humankind. From these and other ancient traditions sprung the Easter Bunny, a symbol of a holiday celebrating a resurrection when all things are possible and all things can again be new.

Easter Eggs

The association of eggs with Easter is actually a recent one. It seems to be the result of an ad campaign, believe it or not, by European candy makers aho wanted to advertise their product. The egg, long a symbol of fertility, had long been a tradtional staple of Easter celebrations. The pairing of the Easter Egg and the Easter Bunny at the end of the nineteenth century was not only a stroke of marketing genius, but also well-founded in the tradtions of the past.

While no one can say when the practice of giving eggs actually became associated with Easter, the decorating of eggs is as diverse as the cultures that engage in the practice. It is known that the eggs were painted with bright colors to celebrate spring and were used in Easter egg-rolling contests and given as gifts, a practice that predated the advent of Christianity. Medieval records note that eggs were often given as Easter gifts to servants by their masters. What is known is that the egg, like the rabbit, was a symbol of renewal of life and therefore a logical symbol for the celebration of Easter.

Easter Baskets

The Easter basket orginates from the ancient Catholic custom of taking food for Easter dinner to mass to be blessed. This, too, mirrored the even more ancient ritual of bronging the first crop and seedlings to the temple to insure a good growing season. This practice, combined with the "rabbit's nest" awaited by the Pennsylvania Dutch has evolved in the brightly colored containers filled with toys and treats left for children on Easter morning by that hare.

Though identified in modern times as a Christian Holy Day, Easter - the ancient celebration of spring - has roots far deeper than any one belief or culture. It reminds us that there is always a chance to plant our dreams anew; that the cold of winter will pass; and that, in the course of humankind, you can always plant again.

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