--- title: Easter Bunny: The Origins of Easter Day's Rabbit description: It doesn't come from the Bible canonical: https://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-01T18:35:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-24T14:33:27.000Z article:section: History og:title: Easter Bunny: The Origins of Easter Day's Rabbit og:description: It doesn't come from the Bible og:url: https://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465f0a579b3429c6/698786432dce0116eb9de550/91628097-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5122 og:image:height: 2881 og:image:alt: 91628097 copy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Easter Bunny: The Origins of Easter Day's Rabbit twitter:description: It doesn't come from the Bible twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465f0a579b3429c6/698786432dce0116eb9de550/91628097-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What's the Origin of the Easter Bunny? > Sponsored content. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Updated: Jan 24, 2024 2:33 PM UTCPublished: Apr 1, 2015 6:35 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Updated: Jan 24, 2024 2:33 PM UTCPublished: Apr 1, 2015 6:35 PM UTC Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, but the seasonal chocolate eggs and the bunny who delivers them are nowhere to be found in scripture. The exact origins of the Easter bunny are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre—a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolized fertility. Eggs are also representative of new life, and it’s believed that decorating eggs for Easter dates back to the 13th century. Hundreds of years ago, churches had their congregations abstain from eggs during Lent, allowing them to be consumed again on Easter. According to History.com, in the 19th century Russian high society started exchanging ornately decorated eggs—even jewel encrusted—on Easter. But how did the Easter Bunny begin delivering eggs on American shores? [According to History.com](http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols), the theory with the most evidence is that the floppy-eared bearer of candy came over with German immigrants: --- > “” --- Bunnies aren’t the animal traditionally associated with Easter in every country. Some identify the holiday with other types of animals like [foxes](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osterfuchs) or [cuckoo birds](http://easter.fundootimes.com/easter-across-the-world/switzerland.html). _Read next:_ [_How the White House’s Easter Egg Tradition Got Rolling_](http://time.com/?p=3766170?iid=time%5Freadnext) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/"},"headline":"What's the Origin of the Easter Bunny?","datePublished":"2015-04-01T18:35:50.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-24T14:33:27.000Z","description":"It doesn't come from the Bible","url":"https://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/","keywords":["faith","Religion","Jesus","Candy","Easter"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465f0a579b3429c6/698786432dce0116eb9de550/91628097-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt465f0a579b3429c6/698786432dce0116eb9de550/91628097-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"91628097 copy","caption":"","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/faith/","name":"faith"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3767518/easter-bunny-origins-history/","name":"What's the Origin of the Easter Bunny?"}}]}] ```