Is there a real Easter Bunny?
Here comes Peter Cottontail hopping up and down the bunny trail!! Is Good Old Peter Cottontail the real Easter Bunny? Is there a real Easter Bunny or just a fictional character parents made up to keep their kids in line? As children we counted down the days till the Easter Bunny would deliver a big beautiful basket of colorful eggs, jelly beans, Peeps, but the crowning jewel of the basket was the big chocolate Easter Bunny! Why a bunny? We all know that Santa is real, he is St. Nicholas, but is there a real Easter Bunny? After hopping around the internet I have found that ‘Yes’ there is a real Easter Bunny!! Well there is a folk legend surrounding the origins of the Easter Bunny.
According to several Easter experts the origins of the first Easter Bunny comes from Germany in the 1500’s. A very poor woman wanted to bring joy to her children so she began hiding decorated eggs in her garden. That wonderful Mama brought her kiddos out to the garden to hunt for the eggs, as the children were about to start hunting a huge hare (German word for rabbit) hopped through the garden! The child believed the hare was the one who hid the eggs and so called him the Osterhare! The tradition of hiding eggs to celebrate the Spring Solstice caught on throughout Germany. The fun tradition was brought to America in the 1700's by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania! The German children would build a nest for the Osterhare to leave them their eggs. This tradition caught on in America, but the children started to leave out baskets for the Osterhare. The Osterhare, which was translated to Easter Bunny, would leave the eggs in the basket of good children. This wonderful poor mom’s act of spreading joy to her children became the folklore of which the origins of the Easter Bunny comes from. So many of our great traditions have come from folklore. Her act of joy started a world wide act of joy!
So the answer is yes!!! There is a real Easter Bunny. The real Easter Bunny was a dear mom who was trying to bring joy to her children. Much the same as our modern day Easter Bunny, Karen Mesler! She just wants to bring joy to as many of God’s children as possible! Her journey of joy began in a classroom as a service project making only 25 baskets! Today, her work is not folklore, but her work is legendary! Our very own modern day Easter Bunny is still hard at work all year round bringing joy to thousands of kiddos of all ages! Karen’s mission of joy may not have been started in a garden but it has grown from 25 baskets to over 60,000 baskets! From folklore to reality it seems to me that the world needs to take notes from both the original Osterhare and our modern day Easter Bunny! Their missions were and are simply to share joy. Our missions everyday should be to share joy. Alleluia Baskets serves the community with joy all year long. You could join their mission of joy or you could spread some joy as easy as opening a door for someone or calling a friend who you haven’t talked to in a long time. Small acts of joy can do more good and could change a person's whole day! How can you hop into action to bring joy to your community? I think the original Osterhare was the perfect example of how a small act done with great love can grow into great joy for all!
“Frohe Ostern” (German for Happy Easter!!).
From the desk of Deanna Carlsen
Robertson, Terri. “What Are the Easter Bunny’s Origins? What History Tells Us.” Country Living, 2024, www.countryliving.com/life/a41715/easter-bunny-origins/.
“Easter Symbols and Traditions ‑ Easter Bunny, Easter Eggs & Christianity.” Edited by History Channel, History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols.