The question of all Easter questions Why is it a rabbit that brings the Easter eggs?
Why is it a rabbit that brings Easter eggs? A children's question that leaves parents in need of an explanation. Of course, because there are crazy stories about the Easter bunny. On the trail of the most popular long-eared animal.
Why the bunny at Easter?
There are countless versions that try to explain how the rabbit became the Easter messenger. The two that make the most sense to us:
- Thesis 1: The Easter bunny hasn't actually had his job for that long. His success story as an egg bearer is said to have begun 300 years ago - in the Alsace, Palatinate and Upper Rhine region. Back then, families began to hide eggs and children discovered hares while searching.
- Thesis 2: Eggs are symbols of new life, as are hares, which often have many young. This is because Christians celebrate the resurrection of the crucified Jesus at Easter.
Incidentally, the Easter bunny only really became popular in the 19th century, as liturgy professor Benedikt Kranemann from the University of Erfurt (Germany) explains. It was then that the chocolate industry started selling bunnies. For a long time, people also talked about other animals that bring eggs at Easter - such as storks or foxes.
Can a rabbit even lay eggs?
No - that's exactly what many children ask themselves and make their parents sweat. Biologically, the hare is not an egg-layer, but symbolically it is a mysterious herald of spring.
Were there other animals as egg messengers in the past?
Yes! In various regions, the rooster, cuckoo, stork or even foxes were also responsible for the Easter eggs - depending on tradition.
Why was the hare able to establish itself as the Easter messenger?
Possibly because rabbits are nimble - and so can't be caught hiding eggs. Or simply because they are particularly popular with children.
What's the story behind the flying bells?
In the Vosges Mountains in France, it is said that church bells fly to Rome to fetch the Easter eggs - a rather fanciful explanation.
How many Easter bunnies are there in Switzerland?
Around 20 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced in Switzerland every year, which equates to around two to three bunnies per person.
This much is certain: the bunny brings the eggs because we want it that way. And because no other animal is so nimble and charming and hops through the Easter nest.
