Harvey & Easter Bunny Trivia

Every since I can remember, I believed in the Easter Bunny. Although I never saw him, I knew that he existed - somewhere. As the saying goes, if it exists somewhere in the imagination, then it exists.

Even though I never had a meeting with him to discuss his heritage or how his back never gave out from carrying so many eggs, or how he never got enough screen time in the film Harvey with James Stewart, we did speak about life, love and the pursuit of imagination.

Harvey is an invisible six-foot, 4 inch rabbit who almost causes Jimmy Stewart’s character, the mild-mannered Elwood P. Dowd to be committed to a sanitarium for talking to an “imaginary friend.”

Harvey likes martinis, wears a hat with two holes cut out for ears and is a constant companion for Stewart. He offers bar patrons a shoulder for their problems, but Harvey’s not just another tall tale, he is larger than life.

When people come into the bar with their problems, he lets them vent and gives them hope that they are not alone in this world.

Harvey, is a pooka. In Celtic folklore, pookas were among the myriad faerie folk who were both feared and revered and would only talk to some people.

Elwood Dowd explains the magic of Harvey,

“Harvey and I sit in the bars... have a drink or two... play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people, they turn toward mine and they smile. We've entered as strangers - soon we have friends. They tell about the big terrible things they've done and the big wonderful things they'll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar. And then I introduce them to Harvey... and he's bigger and grander than anything they offer me.”

While Harvey is currently busy delivering gifts around the world, he wanted me to tell you a little about Easter. Oh and he also wants me to tell you that I am not crazy, he really does exists. (That’s the only way I would have agreed.)

The Easter Bunny has its origins in Alsace and southwestern Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1600s. The first edible Easter Bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s and were made of pastry and sugar.

The Easter Bunny was introduced to America by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s

The arrival of the "O_ster Haws_e" (a phonetic transcription of a dialectal pronunciation of the German Osterhase) was considered one of "childhood's greatest pleasures."

The "O_ster Haws_e" would leave the children brightly colored eggs in the nest which today is the Easter basket.

Eggs, like rabbits and hares are fertility symbols of extreme antiquity. Since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox

Many eastern Christians to this day typically dye their Easter eggs red the color of blood, in recognition of the renewal of life in springtime (and, later, the blood of the sacrificed Christ). Some also use the color green, in honor of the new foliage emerging after the long dead time of winter.

German Protestants wanted to retain the Catholic custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, but did not want to introduce their children to the Catholic rite of fasting. Eggs were forbidden to Catholics during the fast of Lent, which was the reason for the abundance of eggs at Easter time.

The name Easter owes its origin from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes hare and egg.

Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.

Pysanka is a Ukrainian specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting. The word comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.




Pysanka is often taken to mean any type of decorated egg, but it specifically refers to an egg created by the written-wax batik method. Several types of decorated eggs are seen in Ukrainian tradition, and these vary throughout the regions of Ukraine.

From the very early times, egg has been considered to be the most important symbol of rebirth.

The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird's nests.

The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the nineteenth century.

Each year nearly 90 million chocolate bunnies are made.

The original site of the Easter Egg Roll was the grounds of the United States Capitol. The event began during the Presidency of James Madison (1809-1817) at the suggestion of his wife, Dolley Madison. She learned that Egyptian children rolled colored eggs on the site of the Pyramid and thought children of the Washington area would enjoy this activity.

The word paschal comes from a Latin word that means belonging to Passover or to Easter. Formerly, Easter and the Passover were closely associated. The resurrection of Jesus took place during the Passover. Christians of the Eastern church initially celebrated both holidays together. But the Passover can fall on any day of the week, and Christians of the Western church preferred to celebrate Easter on Sunday the day of the resurrection.