The Strange Origins of the Easter Bunny

Apr 17, 2025 Komal Das

Easter celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection, but today it’s marked by egg hunts and chocolate, thanks to the unexpected symbol of a fluffy rabbit

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The Bible doesn’t mention rabbits in relation to Easter, so the origin of the Easter Bunny remains a mystery. Historians have some clues, but the full story is still unclear

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Rabbits, symbols of fertility and rebirth, have long been associated with Easter, though the exact origin of the Easter Bunny is still uncertain

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The Anglo-Saxon goddess Ēostre, honored in April, is speculated to be linked to the Easter Bunny, a connection suggested in 1874 by Adolf Holtzmann

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The Easter Hare tradition began in the 1600s in Europe, with children hunting eggs hidden by the hare, leading to the modern Easter Bunny

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The Easter Bunny came to America with German immigrants in the 1600s, and the first known paintings of it appeared in 1778

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