# easter bunny

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 9, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100 "2004-04-09T02:35:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![vinniepaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@vinniepaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vinniepaz)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/1 "2004-04-09T02:35:46Z")

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easters coming up, and this has been bugging me. what on earth does a bunny have to do with the reincarnation of jesus?

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**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/2 "2004-04-09T02:52:00Z")

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Nothing. It is another example of Christians coopting existing pagan traditions. Originally it was a hare, which in the springtime goes absolutely gonzo for mating. Good spring/fertility/rebirth image.

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**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/3 "2004-04-09T03:04:56Z")

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[Here’s](http://www.snopes.com/holidays/easter/easter.htm) Snope’s Easter Lore page if you would like to read more about the orgins of the imagery. Cecil wrote a [column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_009.html) on it, which is summed up nicely by **DrFidelius**.

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**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/4 "2004-04-09T04:20:49Z")

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Jesus was reincarnated???

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**Author:** ![Thingol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Thingol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thingol)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/5 "2004-04-09T05:04:02Z")

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> [@LorieSmurf](#):
>
> Jesus was reincarnated???

Interesting point. Would you say he was reincarnated, or revivified?

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**Author:** ![Sami41](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sami41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sami41)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/6 "2004-04-09T11:14:23Z")

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When Jesus comes back on Easter, if he sees his own shadow, that means there’s six more weeks of basketball.

What that has to do with bunnies, I can’t imagine.

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**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easter-bunny/239100/7 "2004-04-09T14:08:52Z")

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> [@Thingol](#):
>
> Interesting point. Would you say he was reincarnated, or revivified?

Resurrected, of course, is the more common terminology. Reincarnation implies starting over from birth in a new body.

But, yeah, bunny = fertility… Good links aplenty already provided above.