Easter Bunny
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The Easter Bunny's origin is from Western European cultures.
The word "Easter" is sometimes said to have originated from the name of a pre-Christian goddess named Eostre, drawing on an isolated remark by the medieval English historian Bede to that effect; it is also alleged that she was sometimes depicted with a hare's head and is thus the origin of the Easter Bunny. Her associations with the hare -- if they exist -- seem to be related to its high fecundity (ability to reproduce quickly). Her connections with the hare would appear to be the origin of the Easter Bunny, eggs being a worldwide symbol of fertility. A story is told that the goddess turned her pet bird into a rabbit to entertain some children. The rabbit immediately laid some brightly colored eggs, which the goddess gave to the children.
It is important to note that apart from Bede's isolated comment, no pre-19th century source has, to date, been brought to light for this story or any other alleged connections between Eostre and other Easter customs. See Eostre for more on this.
It is thought that the idea of the Easter Bunny was developed by German Protestants, who wanted to retain or re-introduce the Catholic custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, but did not want to introduce their children to the Catholic rite of fasting, which was the reason for the abundant availability of eggs at Easter time (they were forbidden to Catholics during the fast, and thus eggs laid during the fast were stored until the feast).
The idea of an egg-laying rabbit came to the United States in the 1700s. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhase" (also: "Oschter Haws") or Easter Bunny. Only good children received gifts of coloured eggs in the nests that they had made in their caps and bonnets before Easter. Presumably, the Oschter Haws laid them when they were not looking.
In the United States, the Easter Bunny purportedly leaves baskets of treats (including Easter eggs and assorted chocolates) on Easter morning for good children. This is a common practice even in non-Christian households, as Easter has started to become a more non-sectarian festival, along the lines of Halloween or Valentine's Day.