Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Easter bunny
References
Images
White House
Britannica AI Icon

Easter bunny

folk character
Also known as: Easter rabbit
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

White House
White House Children attending the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Washington, D.C., 1958.

The Easter Bunny is a folk character associated with the Christian festival of Easter, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This mythical rabbit, which delivers baskets of goodies and hides decorated eggs for children, has roots in earlier societies and religious rites dating back to Neolithic times. Hares have been linked with symbols of rebirth and fertility in various European cultures.1

The tradition of the Easter Bunny bringing eggs is thought to have been brought to the United States by German immigrants in the 18th century. The character became widely known as the Easter Bunny and is now a recognized symbol of Easter, much like Santa Claus is for Christmas. The decorated egg itself is an ancient symbol of new life, evolving into a motif in Easter celebrations that symbolizes rebirth.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. What Does the Easter Bunny Have to Do with Jesus?
  2. Easter Bunny
  3. folk art - Religious art

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.