Not so long ago in our country became known and popular such a character as the Easter rabbit. So it's no wonder that our parents (not to mention the older generations) and know do not know anything about this beast. But it can not be said that all the young people are aware of this question, namely, why the rabbit is called the Easter, and where this tradition came from.
Why is a rabbit a symbol of Easter?
In fact, the Easter rabbit initially had absolutely nothing to do with Easter. And now, the Easter rabbit is nothing more than the tradition of some peoples, and has nothing to do with the Resurrection of the Lord.
To begin with, we note that such an Easter symbol does not exist in all Christian countries. It is distributed only in some countries of Europe (and more specifically in Western countries) and in the United States of America. The Easter hare itself has a pagan origin and the history of its origin goes back to pre-Christian Germany. Then the Germans believed in pagan gods, one of which was the goddess of fertility and the spring of Eostra. In honor of her, celebrations of the spring were held, which occurred on the day of the vernal equinox. And since the rabbit is considered the main symbol of fertility, it was also identified with the goddess Eostroy and the arrival of spring. In the XIV century, the legend of the Easter hare, which allegedly carried eggs and hid them in the garden, became popular.
Later, the Germans brought this legend to the United States, where a tradition arose to give the children sweet chocolate and marzipan hares. Over time, this tradition merged with the Christian holiday of the Resurrection of the Lord, or Easter.
Now in some countries it is customary to give sweet Easter rabbits or rabbits to children on Easter holiday, and colorful eggs.
Easter Bunny with your own hands
Since our children also liked this tradition, they often left homemade nests for the Easter rabbit. And some adults would like to decorate their house with such a symbol of Easter, make an original gift to friends, or a toy for children in the form of an Easter bunny. We offer you the instruction how to sew an Easter bunny with your own hands.
First you will need a rabbit pattern. You can find it on the Internet or draw it yourself. If you decide to draw, the easiest way is to outline the image of any rabbit or rabbit on the contour.
Now take the fabric you like. Here it is necessary to make a digression. It is not necessary to try to make an Easter bunny similar to a real animal, you are unlikely to succeed. Therefore, it is better to take a cloth cheerful, in polka dots, a flower, etc. Thus, you will create not only an interesting and original rabbit, but also amuse your friends or child.
Then fold the fabric in half with the front side inward, pin the pattern with small pins to the fabric and cut out the contour (if you made a pattern by tracing the hare image, then on each side make an allowance for the seam about 8-10 mm). After that, we break off the pins and sew the rabbit along the contour. But you are not sewing them up to the end. Leave a small hole so that you can turn the rabbit out on the front side and fill it with cotton, sintepon, scraps or other soft material. Then sew the rabbit to the end.
With the help of multi-colored markers draw a rabbit muzzle. You can also use small buttons for this. And if you're lucky, in special shops with sewing accessories you can find eyes, a nose and a mouth, which are sewn onto such homemade toys. Rabbit is ready.
And for those who can not sew, you can make an Easter bunny from paper. It can be both drawing, and applique, and origami, and hand-craft. And some housewives even bake cookies, in the form of Easter rabbits.