It doesn’t sound as cute...
...but the Easter Hare originally came here with the Germans in the 1700s. Children in Pennsylvania Dutch country would wad up their clothes in the form of a nest in hopes that the Easter Hare would stop by and lay an egg there. Over time, the hare became a bunny, another word for a small, young animal. The wadded up clothes nest was replaced with the Easter basket and the hare eggs with candies or a toy.
For the record, hares don’t lay eggs, nor do bunnies or rabbits. Hares and rabbits are an ancient sign of spring, fertility and new life. The eggs came into the picture later when Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with an Easter feast, complete with eggs which they had gone without during the Lent fast.
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