What are the Origins of the Easter Bunny?
Niki Foster
Niki Foster
The Easter Bunny derives from an ancient association of hares, rabbits, and eggs with the fertile season of spring. Since rabbits and hares are prolific breeders that often produce large litters in the springtime, and birds lay their eggs around the same time, both have served as symbols of fertility in Western Europe since antiquity. The Easter Bunny combines these two events in the form of an egg-laying rabbit that heralds the season of new growth and life after the barren winter.
The Easter Bunny seems to have started in Germany, where it is discussed in writing as early as the 16th century. German folklorist Jakob Grimm also wrote about German Easter customs in the 19th century, linking them to an ancient holiday known as Ostara, possibly also the name of a pagan goddess. In Western Europe, the Easter Bunny is a hare, called the Osterhase in German. Dutch settlers brought this tradition to the United States in the 18th century.
In Dutch Pennsylvania, the Oschter Haws was a figure that brought holiday gifts to children, much like Christ-Kindel, later to become Santa Claus, during Christmas. Children would build nests in their hats or bonnets for the hare to lay her colored eggs in, and only good children would receive a visit. This tradition of nest building eventually gave way to the modern tradition of the Easter basket, which often includes paper or plastic "grass." Today, some families instruct their children to leave carrots for the Easter Bunny on Easter eve, much as milk and cookies are often left out for Santa Claus.
The Easter Bunny is believed to lay colored eggs, and egg coloring is also an ancient springtime practice steeped in symbolism. In Greece, eggs are dyed red, the color of blood and of life in many Eastern cultures, symbolic of the new life in spring and associated in Christian times with the blood of Christ shed during the Easter season. Green is another popular color, referencing the abundance of new plant life and growth in the spring. Nowadays, the Easter Bunny gives eggs in all different colors, possibly symbolic of the rainbow, another sign of hope and new life, especially in the Judeo-Christian faith.
Niki Foster
In addition to her role as a WiseGEEK editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Linguistics and Anthropology.
Niki Foster
In addition to her role as a WiseGEEK editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she majored in Linguistics and Anthropology.
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![Rabbits are associated with spring and fertility.]()
By: AnatoliiRabbits are associated with spring and fertility. -
![Colored eggs are believed to be laid by the Easter Bunny.]()
By: TomashkoColored eggs are believed to be laid by the Easter Bunny. -
![Coloring Easter eggs is a favorite tradition of children everywhere.]()
By: DenisNataColoring Easter eggs is a favorite tradition of children everywhere. -
![It is believed the Easter Bunny originated in Germany during the 16th century.]()
By: believeinme33It is believed the Easter Bunny originated in Germany during the 16th century. -
![Children building nests in their hats for a hare to lay colored eggs eventually led to the tradition of Easter baskets.]()
By: svetamartChildren building nests in their hats for a hare to lay colored eggs eventually led to the tradition of Easter baskets.
Discussion Comments
It is so interesting to see how beliefs from centuries and even millennia past are still evident in our own practices and traditions today! The Easter bunny is a great example of how we humans can take the best of what we have been taught and pass it on down again and again. It truly is inspiring, in a way, to know that our ancestors threw out so much of the bad stuff associated with some Pagan beliefs and kept the positive and hopeful alive. Yay, Easter bunny!
The Easter bunny actually lays the eggs, huh? I am thirty one years old, and until now I never realized that the bunny was supposed to be laying the eggs. Perhaps I’m just a little slow, but I really never noticed this! I guess I though he was getting the eggs from his little chick friends that we also see so often at Easter time! Who knew the history of the Easter bunny included a rabbit that had such abilities?
This is one of many Christian holidays that has pagan roots. Many of the pagan holidays were "Christianized" to sort of harness the enthusiasm and celebrations that were already happening and make them Christian. Christmas has many of the same aspects.
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