Which Came First: The Bunny or The Egg?

Easter is this Sunday, April 4! As we prepare for this holiday and its associated traditions, let’s take a look at the origins:

• Symbolic of new life, eggs have long been connected to pagan festivals that celebrate spring.

• The ritual of decorating eggs dates back to the 13th Century .As eggs used to be forbidden during Lent, it was customary to decorate them and then eat them on Easter Sunday.

• Some say the Easter bunny didn’t make its way to the United States until the 1700s, alongside German immigrants. Yes, the egg did indeed come first!

• With them came the custom of an egg-laying hare. Children would make nests for the bunny to lay its colorful eggs. In the U.S., decorated baskets were used instead of nests.

• Having ham on Easter is also borrowed from Germany. Back in the 6th Century, hunters would hunt hogs in the fall and let them cure all winter long. By springtime, pork was one of the only meats ready for consumption.

• The large and hollow chocolate bunny purchased at Easter comes from – you guessed it – Germany! While it came to America in the 19th Century, it did not become popular until 1890 when the owner of a drugstore put a 5-foot chocolate rabbit on display.

• Why is the chocolate bunny empty on the inside? As explained by the owner of R.M. Palmer, one of the original manufacturers of these dessert bunnies, “If you had a larger-size bunny and it was solid chocolate, it would be like a brick; you’d be breaking teeth.”

This weekend, I’ll be dyeing eggs with my youngest. What are some of your favorite traditions?