"Bunnies Don't Even Lay Eggs" - Isla Nelson
After seeing a newspaper article about Easter and the topic of children coming to learn the world is full of mystery and deception, I just had to sign up, just to bring the magic back!
Please do tell your kids and their inquiring young minds about the #EasterFox / #Osterfuchs and why we have bunnies, chick sand eggs at Easter!
Spring Equinox is on Mon, Mar 20, 2023 this year (It is a time of year we that we are closest to the sun and why the aurora borealis can be seen further south, across the UK, Europe and the US), with Easter around the corner on 9th April 2023, a reminder spring has sprung and new life is upon us.
So, in the name of developing growing young minds, I wanted to explain why celebrating with bunnies, chicks, painted eggs and egg hunts this time of year might not be as strange as first appears... and it is all thanks to the fox!
In Germany until the mid-20th Century, it was the #Osterfuchs or 'Easter Fox' that dominated Easter tradition and not the Easter bunny that we all know today, as Wiki states of the Osterfuchs;
"The children prepared a nest of moss and hay for the fox the day before Easter and made sure that the fox would not be disturbed at night."
Foxes only breed once a year, from Jan-March, weaning their young around 8 weeks after birth. Knowing that fox parents have hungry mouths to feed this time of year, it is wise to keep small prey animals such as poultry and rabbits locked up safe around Easter time (where they cannot disturb the fox, as wise words once reminded us!). It was also recorded in the stories of the time, that the eggs were placed by the Easter fox and not by the Easter bunny.
So this takes me to the ancient tradition of the 'Easter Egg Tree' also existed at the time (symbolising life, spring and rebirth) and foxes love nothing more than a challenge and a good egg! It would make sense that hungry fox parents would steal and then cache the painted eggs off these bountiful trees, ready for the children to then find again in the morning, in what may have been the very first #EasterEggHunts, ("caching" is a behaviour where foxes will steal and hide food, for use at a later time, a bit like how we use a fridge or larder).
Natures beauty doesn't end there! Did you know that the red nosed reindeer also exists?
The Red Nosed Reindeer
Natural cycles have always been woven into our traditions and some of the meaning can be lost over time. Finally knowing about the Easter fox and the red nose of the Reindeer, it seems these odd traditions suddenly make sense, don't you agree? When their illusions are shattered, show them all the beauty and mystery there is still yet to uncover! 🦊
Black Foxes UK - The Easter Fox