History or a Mystery:
Who's That Easter Bunny?
By: Annelyse Zaccaria '25
We all look forward to spring, many of us associating the season with our favorite furry bunny, but how many of us really know how the Easter bunny hopped into our hearts? Let’s take a walk down the bunny trail to understand how this small mammal gained such popularity.
It is said that the Easter bunny first came to America with the Germans in the 1700s. The German tradition of a special bunny that comes around to hide eggs for children is what really inspired our present holiday festivities. German children would make hand-made nests every year, in celebration of the German holiday "Osterhase/“Oschterhaws,” in order to prepare for the arrival of a bunny whose job it was to carefully place eggs upon the nest.
Over time, as the Germans continued to carry this tradition along with them to the U.S., it also picked up other small traditions to go along with it as well, such as placing chocolate/jelly bean candies in Easter baskets (instead of nests), leaving out carrots in case the bunny was hungry, and the giving of gifts for egg hunts. Since then, the tradition of the Easter bunny has spread to the entire world and is celebrated globally as a day of searching for brightly colored eggs followed by enjoying delicious candy treats.