The story of the Easter Bunny begins with the first German immigrants, who arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. According to History.com, the settlers told a legend in their homeland about an "Osterhase" or "Oschter Haws"—a rabbit who laid eggs.
German children made nests for the bunny to encourage him to leave the brightly colored treats, a custom which continued.
As the years passed, the story of the egg-laying rabbit spread and developed, with the bunny eventually dishing up a basket filled with candy, toys, and eggs.
The Bible contains no reference to the Easter Bunny.
He has nothing to do with the supposed resurrection of Jesus.
Instead, the rabbit's beginnings can be traced back to ancient paganism, and the deity Eostra.
The goddess of spring, rebirth, and fertility, her icon was the rabbit.
Perhaps Christians named Easter after Eostra as a way of recognizing the symbol of the bunny.
The first Easter celebration is said to have taken place in the 2nd century, but historians believe it probably occurred earlier, as the Vernal Equinox festival in honor of Eostra transitioned into the Christian holiday.
By the 17th century, Protestants in Europe had firmly connected rabbits and Easter, although throughout the world other animals are associated with it.
They include the bilby, a rabbit-like marsupial in Australia, Switzerland's Easter Cuckoo, and even the Easter fox, chick, stork, and rooster in Germany.
