The legend of the Easter Bunny

THE Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a fantasy character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs.

Originating among German Lutherans, the Easter Hare originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behaviour at the start of the season of Eastertide.

The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted wearing clothes. In legend, the creature carries colored eggs in his basket, and delivers these, along with sweets and sometimes toys, to the homes of children. In a similar fashion to Father Christmas, they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holiday.

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 Easter eggs for  children.

Information courtesy of Wikipedia