Who came up with the idea of the Easter Bunny?
According to Time, the concept of the Easter bunny stems from pagan rituals around the vernal equinox (the first day of spring). The pagan goddess of fertility, Eostre, was also symbolized by a hare and eggs. It’s believed that when missionaries spread Christianity throughout Europe, they combined the pagan spring rituals with Easter and resurrection celebrations to make the transition from paganism to Christianity easier for new converts.
In terms of the Easter Bunny’s specific ties to the Christian holiday, German writings from the 1600s were reportedly among the first to mention an Easter hare. The Easter hare (called “Oschter Haws” in German) was said to have left colorful eggs for good children around Easter. Children would sometimes prepare “nests” for the eggs and leave carrots for the hare. German immigrants are believed to have brought the Easter Bunny tradition to the United States around the 1700s.
