The Easter Bunny is a symbol of fertility and new life, combining the prolific breeding of rabbits and hares with the egg-laying of birds in spring. It originated in Germany and was brought to the US by Dutch settlers. The tradition of building nests for the bunny’s eggs evolved into modern Easter baskets. Egg coloring is an ancient practice steeped in symbolism, with red representing blood and life, and green representing new plant growth. The Easter Bunny now gives eggs of all colors, symbolizing hope and new life.
The Easter Bunny comes from an ancient association of hares, rabbits, and eggs with the fertile season of spring. Because rabbits and hares are prolific breeders often producing large litters in spring and birds lay their eggs around the same time, both have served as symbols of fertility in Western Europe since ancient times. The Easter Bunny combines these two events in the form of an egg-laying bunny heralding the season of new growth and life after the dry winter.
The Easter Bunny seems to have had its start in Germany, where it is mentioned in writing as early as the 16th century. German folklorist Jakob Grimm also wrote about German Easter customs in the 16th century, linking them to an ancient festival known as Ostara, possibly also the name of a pagan goddess. In Western Europe, the Easter Bunny is a hare, called 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 who brought Christmas presents to children, much like Christ-Kindel, who would later become Santa Claus, during Christmas. The children built nests in their hats or caps for the hare to lay its colored eggs, and only the good children got a visit. This nest-building tradition eventually gave way to the modern Easter basket tradition, which often includes paper or plastic “grass.” Today, some families teach their children to leave out carrots for the Easter Bunny on Easter Eve, just like 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 that is steeped in symbolism. In Greece eggs are dyed red, the color of blood and life in many Eastern cultures, a symbol of new life in spring and associated in the Christian era with the blood of Christ shed during the Easter period. Green is another popular color, referencing the abundance of new plant life and growth in spring. Nowadays, the Easter Bunny gives eggs of all colors, perhaps a symbol of the rainbow, another sign of hope and new life, especially in the Judeo-Christian faith.
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