What the heck?: This is behind our Easter tradition

“Unlike the Easter egg, the rabbit only appears very late in connection with Easter,” says Gallati. The egg has been an important Christian symbol since ancient times and was associated with Easter as early as the Middle Ages. But the rabbit appeared in this context only in the 18th century.

Rabbit, lamb or cuckoo

At that time, people’s lives were moving away from the church. “From then on, the most important religious holidays were increasingly celebrated at home with the family,” says Gallati. There was a need for figures that would bring the celebration to your own living room; for example, a rabbit at Easter.

“But for a long time, the rabbit was not the only symbol of Easter,” says Gallati. Depending on the region, the lamb or – less commonly – the cuckoo was also known at Easter. For example in central Switzerland. “They all had the same mission: They brought the gifts on Easter Sunday, the day of the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.”

In the 20th century, the importance of the cuckoo was almost completely lost. The rabbit, however, has become the dominant symbol of Easter. The reasons for this are complex and not entirely clear, says Gallati: “Rabbits, on the one hand, are a symbol of fertility and life.” Because of the high reproductive rate, people still talk about “breeding like rabbits” today. This importance is especially greater in spring, around Easter, when everything blooms and comes to life again.

The chocolate industry helped rabbits achieve their invention

But Gallati has another assumption regarding the rabbit’s success at Easter. «The look is so iconic. “Long ears make for instant recognition.” The chocolate industry also benefited from this. “The shape is easily repeatable and ideal for pouring into chocolate.”

For these reasons – high recognition value and easy reproducibility – the Easter bunny (both in symbol and chocolate form) achieved a complete breakthrough no later than the 20th century. From the Easter gift bringer originally known in Southern Germany to an Easter star known worldwide and in popular culture.