Easter Decorations

	Which came first – the rabbit, the chick or the egg? Wait a minute…what is a rabbit doing in the equation? Well, it’s Easter, and some “bunny” threw a “hare” into the works and now Easter Decorations have what seems to be an unmatched trio. But are they? Easter is by Nature and the Christian faith, a time of renewal, new growth, and the beginning once more of the cycle of life, including the season for flowers, crops and the birthing of new offspring in the wild. That recognition by Man was made thousands of years ago, and as a result, eggs became part of fertility rites and ceremonies dedicated to what we know as Spring. One of the first cultures to practice this was the Ancient Egyptians, followed by the Romans and Greeks. We’re still looking for the rabbit though. He wouldn’t hop onto the scene until sometime later, but his origin dates back to at least the seventh century. It was just about that time that the worship of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre had begun to fade. The English pagans following the cycles of nature, attributed her with powers associated with rebirth and growth, celebrating her festival in the Spring month that began with a new moon, Eostur. Saint Bede, a venerated monk known as the father of English history recorded her story in the early eighth century. But having faded from view, her existence was greeted with some skepticism.

Easter Flag with Bunny Pole

Easter flag and pole
Made of polyester, metal
20.22 x 45 inches

Easter Egg Flowers Garden Flag

Seasonal accent
Dyed polyester
12.5 x 18 inches

Easter Eggs Garden Flag

Easter outdoor décor
Dyed polyester
12.5 x 18 inches

Giant Egg Decorative House Flag

Seasonal accent
Dyed polyester
28 x 40 inches

Floppy Eared Bunny Decorative House Flag

Bunny design
Dyed polyester
28 x 40 inches

Easter Bunny Windsock

Easte Bunny design
Made of polyester
14 x 50 inches

Easter Bunny Garden Flag

Seasonal accent
Appliqued nylon
18 x 12.5 inches

More Garden Flags...

Chicken Basket Set

Set of two
Large: 12 x 7 x 10 inches
Small: 7 x 5 x 8 inches

Snowbunnies My Little Puddle Jumper

Enchanting design
Made of resin
4 x 2 x 4.5 inches

Easter Surprise Flag

Enchanting design
Durable, fade resistant
29 x 43 inches

Lets Paint Eggs Flag

Springtime them
29 x 43 inches.

Rabbit Tree Face

Cute Yard Decoration
Painted Resin
13 3/4 Inches Tall

Easter Rabbit Windspinner

Fun seasonal accent
Appliqued material, wire
8.5 x 30 inches

Home > Decorating Ideas > Holiday Decorating > Easter

History of Easter

The idea that such a venerated religious expert would have made up a major figure out of thin air was refuted by Jacob Grimm (yes, he of the Brothers Grimm) in the latter part of the 19th century. After all, Germany had their own version of the goddess, with the same attributes. Even her name was similar – Ostara. The month occurring in Spring, and the name being familiar to more than one culture, it ended up lending itself to the festival we now know as Easter. But we still haven’t found the rabbit.

In some representations and stories about the goddess, she is depicted as having the ears, if not the whole head of a hare. Strictly speaking this is not your usual fluffy bunny. Hares and rabbits are both members of the Lagomorph order, which are distantly related to rodents. But it was close enough for the prolific breeding habits of the hare to become associated with fertility rites, Spring, and ergo, the goddess. Given that they can conceive a second litter while still pregnant with the first, makes them the ideal representative of birth, rebirth, and more births. One story relates how the goddess Eostre found a bird with frozen wings, and turned it into a hare to free it. And so the rabbit-easter-fertile connection was made for all time.

Easter fun in America owes its origins to the Germanic goddess and all the traditions related to Spring that sprung from that culture. Children of 18th century immigrants would put their caps or bonnets out in the yard on a given day, and they would be filled with colored eggs. There was often a bunny too, but not in chocolate just yet. The first Easter rabbits were pastry treats covered in sugar.

So now we have eggs, and by natural association chicks or hens, and the rabbit. Things really started to roll, quite literally. By 1872, the heart of our nation was alive with the laughter of children, and not a few adults, rolling eggs. But not on the lawn of the White House. The first events were held on the Capitol grounds. And what an exuberant event it was! So lively in fact, that the Grinches at the Capitol complained about damage to the turf and Congress passed a law prohibiting the area to be used as a “playground” at any time.

Bah humbug, we say! And so did Washingtonians. As the story goes, either the president got wind of an imminent riot, or the disappointed families descended on the White House and demanded that they be allowed to roll their eggs. President Rutherford B. Hayes allowed the children in to the South lawn, and a great tradition was born.

The White House egg roll, which over the years has included many other egg games and events as well as live entertainment, is now an American institution. And yes, it has a rabbit! The Easter Bunny’s identity is usually a closely guarded secret, “he” never being seen without his fluffy little noggin. Although it somehow leaked out of the burrow that for six years, the wife of Ronald Reagan’s Attorney General, Edwin Meese had filled the role, which earned her the name the "Meester Bunny".