The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1909-04-10
the EGG AND THE HARE.
Two Different Symbols Of the Easter
Anniversary.


Anniversary.
OF late years there has been a mark
ed and growing tendency on the part
OF Easter artists and cOnfectlOners to
substitute the rabbit or hare for the
old familiar Easter egg as a symbol Of
the Joyous Easter anniversary. In the
well remembered mot long ago. the
egg held absolute and undisputed sway
as the universal emblem of the resur-
rection. Then the egg "ripened," and
the fuzzy little chick added its cunning
presence to confectioners' window dec
orations So far the connection be-
tween the symbol and the event was
50 easily understood that comment or
questioning would have been entirely
superhuous, but with the advent Of the
bunny" tribe the completely becomes
too embarrassing for silence, and one
is anxious 10 have an answer to the
question. Why? The timid, dainty lit
tie long cared rabbit Is certainly cute
and attractive, but what has it to do
with Eastern No one questions Its
beauty or effectiveness, but wherein
lies its appropriateness7
In seeking an answer to this reason
able inquiry one finds an easy clew In
the work Of Chinese. Japanese and
Hindoo artists, who all agree In asso-
ciating the hare with the moon. In
the minds Of these authorities the
man In the MOON" with whom one IS
30 well acquainted, is not a man at all,
but a hare, and It is found in studying
the mythology Of these countries that
the hare and the moon are identical in
their symbology, the Chinese repre-
sentng the moon as a hare pounding
rice In a mortar. After establishing
the connection between the hare and
the moon the rest is easy, for Easter
Is really a festival OF the moon, its
date being fixed by the council Of
Nice In 351 A ID. as the first Sunday
after the first full moon following the
vernal equinox.
SO. the moon being clearly related to
Easter and the hare being related to
the moon, the hare Is clearly entitled
TO participate in the Easter cheer.
OF course this only opens the door
to food Of eager questions whose an
swers are only to be found In dusty,
musty tones Of NEUROLOGICAL lore, and
the search Is too involved and tiresome
70 be interesting. Just why the hare
should have been adopted az the SYM
Dol Of the moon is not easy TO deter
mine satisfactorily, as history on this
point is shrouded in the clouds OF an
tiquity and complicated by conflicting
testimony. One account has 1t that
Buddha once desired to feed a hungry
fellow creature and to do this took
the form OF q hare. In this form be
was transferred to the moon, where he
still remains.
Equally reliable is the account Of
Indra's being at one time In a famish-
ing condition, when the hare, being an
extremely sympathetic creature. was
naturally heartbrOken at such distress.
Unable to relieve the great mans hun
ger In any other way, the hare threw
himself into the fire and thus saved
Indra from starvation. Out OF grail
tude for this sacrifice Indra trans
ferred the animal to the moon.
Many more recent bases for linking
the hare TO the moon could be found,
as the fact of its carrying its young a
lunar month, being nocturnal in its
habits. its young being born with their
eyes open and the moon being called
the open eyed" and a superstition
that the hare changed it's sex annually.
the moons sex being changed from
masculine during its waxing period.
when It was called the lord Of light"
and considered as the sign of new life,
and feminine during the waning pc
Rod.
Many other myths connect the hare
with the moon and thus indirectly
with Easter. but the delving into such
realms makes one long for something
tangible. definite. exact and historical,
something like the present, living
power OF the left hind foot Of a grave
yard rabbit killed at midnight in the
dark Of the moon by a cross eyed col
ored gentleman to bring unceasing
good luck to its posSessor.
To seek the reason for this wonder
ful power on the part Of the rabbits
foot would again involve one in in
terminable mythology. so suffice IL to
say that in the old hieroglyphics the
leg or hind quarter. called the khepsh,
typiled the typhoon or personifed evil.
To wear II signifies. naturally, the tri-
umph- over evil. All the other condi-
tons which are now necessary to en-
dow the talisman with power are later
accretions only strengthening the orig
inal mythical significance.