Easter Egg Hunts

How a bunny rabbit hopped into Easter celebrations around the world

By Google Arts & Culture

Postcard:Easter Greeting (1909)The Strong National Museum of Play

Every year, children around many parts of the world rush around in a frenzied hunt for chocolate eggs carefully hidden by the Easter Bunny, thanks to a tradition that is thought to have started in Germany.

Coloured Easter eggs (2019) by Monika GrabkowskaSlovenian Tourist Board

While the egg has long been associated with new life and rebirth, Christian traditions also adopted it as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. A hollowed out shell is seen as a metaphor for his empty tomb, which according to the Bible was discovered by a group of women.

Martin Luther (1532) by Lucas Cranach the ElderRenaissance and Reformation. German Art in the Age of Dürer and Cranach

To commemorate this, in the late 16th century, the Protestant reformer Martin Luther is said to have organized egg hunts for his congregation, where men would hide eggs for women and children to find.

Pull toy:Fisher Price Bunny Cart (No. 5) (1954-1956) by Fisher-Price ToysThe Strong National Museum of Play

The tradition developed from its religious roots to incorporate the Easter Hare, later known as the Easter Bunny. While the animals have no link to the Bible, they are a symbol of the time of year because of their famous fertility.

Children on an Easter Egg Hunt by Helen Marsden (Getty Images)

The story goes that the Easter Bunny would lay brightly colored eggs for well-behaved children to find on the morning of Easter Sunday. Some children would prepare nests in the garden for eggs to be left in, and even leave out carrots to refuel the Bunny after all its hopping.

East Front, Kensington Palace (2012) by Robin ForsterHistoric Royal Palaces

The idea soon spread from Germany, finding its way to the US when an influx of German immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. In England, it was Queen Victoria who helped popularize the tradition after participating in egg hunts as a young girl in the gardens of Kensington Palace, put on by her German-born mother, the Duchess of Kent.

Chocolate Easter eggs by Sally Anscombe

The tradition has evolved from the original colored eggs to now involve chocolate eggs, candy, or coins. Eager children will head out carrying a basket to collect as many of these treats as they can. The term “Easter egg” has even become the phrase used to describe an intentionally hidden clue or joke in a film or video game.

Girls searching for Easter eggs by Ariel Skelley

In other places in the world, it’s not the Easter Bunny who hides eggs for children: in France they’re brought by flying bells and in Australia it’s the Easter Bilby. However, one part of the world that hunts for something other than Easter eggs is Ortega in Costa Rica.

Crocodile Figurine (Late Period - Roman Period (711 BCE - 150 CE)) by UnknownLos Angeles County Museum of Art

Every Good Friday, a group called the Lagarteros de Ortega (Lizard Men of Ortega) wade into the local river and surround a crocodile to lure it into a net. The crocodile is then brought into the town as the guest of honor for its Easter celebrations before being released back into the wild the next day.

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