Protestant German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the " Osterhase " (sometimes spelled " Oschter Haws " ). The idea of an egg-giving hare went to the U.S. Similar variants of this form of artwork are seen amongst other eastern and central European cultures. The Ukrainian art of decorating eggs for Easter, known as pysanky, dates to ancient, pre-Christian times. Some also use the color green, in honor of the new foliage emerging after the long-dead time of winter. Many Christians of the Eastern Orthodox Church to this day typically dye their Easter eggs red, the color of blood, in recognition of the blood of the sacrificed Christ (and, of the renewal of life in springtime). Eggs boiled with some flowers change their color, bringing the spring into the homes, and some over time added the custom of decorating the eggs. Later, German Protestants retained the custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, though they did not continue the tradition of fasting. Īs a special dish, eggs would probably have been decorated as part of the Easter celebrations.
People handed out eggs as special treats for children prior to their fast. A common practice in England at that time was for children to go door-to-door begging for eggs on the Saturday before Lent began. Eggs became a symbol in Christianity associated with rebirth as early as the 1st century AD, via the iconography of the Phoenix egg, and they became associated with Easter specifically in medieval Europe, when eating them was prohibited during the fast of Lent. Main articles: Easter egg and Egg decoratingĮggs have been used as fertility symbols since antiquity.
The custom was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau's De ovis paschalibus ('About Easter eggs') in 1682, referring to a German tradition of an Easter Hare bringing eggs for the children. As such, the Easter Bunny again shows similarities to Santa (or the Christkind) and Christmas by bringing gifts to children on the night before a holiday. As part of the legend, the creature carries colored eggs in its basket, as well as candy, and sometimes toys, to the homes of children. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide, similar to the "naughty or nice" list made by Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit-sometimes dressed with clothes-bringing Easter eggs. A 1907 postcard featuring the Easter Bunny
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