Easter Bunny

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 to people. 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. 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. 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. The custom was mentioned in a German text from 1572, which translated reads: “Do not worry if the Easter Bunny escapes you; should we miss his eggs, we will cook the nest” and in Georg Franck von Franckenau's De ovis paschalibus ("About Easter Eggs") in 1682, referring to a German folk belief of an Easter Hare laying eggs hidden in garden and bushes for children to find in egg hunt.