Easter is a religious holiday as it is a day dedicated to observing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, there are no mentions of the Easter Bunny in the Bible and yet knickknacks of bunnies and pastel-colored eggs take over the decorum for the holiday which begs the question: where did the Easter Bunny come from?
The symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre. Eostre, the Germain goddess of fertility and whose animal symbol is a hare, is celebrated during the Spring Equinox. This festival, and like that in many other cultures, celebrated spring's arrival, which represented new life and rebirth.
According to History.com, the Easter Bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and brought over their traditions of “Osterhase,” an egg-laying hare.
While the Easter Bunny has become a popular symbol of Easter in many cultures, its connection to the Christian holiday is somewhat tenuous. The story of Easter centers around the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was crucified and buried on Good Friday. On the third day after his death, Jesus rose from the dead, thus signaling his victory over sin and death. This event is celebrated by Christians worldwide as the most important event in their faith.
As Christianity spread through Europe as well as America, the celebrations of the Spring Equinox may have merged with the observance of Christ’s resurrection because they both occurred around the same time.
While the specific timeline of the origins of the Easter Bunny may be difficult to trace, the tradition has become part of the Easter celebrations.