Hello Friends,

It is spring already and Easter is only a few weeks away. The pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time of year as the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. It made sense, therefore, to alter the festival itself, to make it a Christian celebration as converts were slowly won over. The early name, Eastre, was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.

The Easter Bunnies shown in the photos below are from our collection of Herend hand painted porcelains from Hungry. The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. The Germans brought the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.(copyright 2005 by Jerry Wilson. Used by permission.)

May Easter's gentle promise of hope and rebirth fill your heart with joy. - Bill