Facts about the Easter Bunny

1. The Easter Bunny is not related to the religious holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It actually symbolizes the arrival of spring.

2. Hop, the family/comedy movie released in 2011 features a talking bunny named E.B. who lives on Easter Island and carries similar traits to the children of Generation Z and Millenials who rebelled against their parent’s wishes.

3. There is controversy over the gender of the Easter Bunny.  Hop, Rise of the Guardians, and Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade features the Easter Bunny as a male; however, many believe that E.B is female because she lays eggs.

4. Similar to the cookies left for Santa Claus, children used to leave carrots for the Easter Bunny.

5. There are different stories of the E.B.’s origin. Some theorize the Easter Bunny came from early Pagan celebrations. These non-Christian believers celebrated the arrival of spring and new life during the spring equinox. Missionaries merged the Pagan tradition with the resurrection of Jesus Christ since they occurred around the same time to make it easier to convert Pagans. Others believe the Easter Bunny was brought to America in the 1700s by German immigrants who told stories of the egg-laying hare.

6. In Sweden and Poland, the Easter bunnies are the children who dress up as witches and wizards going door to door for treats. 

Their traditions are similar to Halloween.

7. In France, flying church bells make their way to Rome on Good Friday where they are blessed and filled with candy. On Easter Sunday, the bells arrive back in France where they are gifted to children.

8. Switzerland has the Easter Cuckoo (bird) which symbolizes rebirth.

9. The White House hosts an annual Easter Egg Roll where children are invited to hunt for eggs and a member of the president’s administration dresses as the Easter Bunny.

Here in Newport News, we have various events taking place on Easter weekend.

Easter Egg Hunt Trail at AT&T Tech Center on April 16, 2022, from 2 pm – 4 pm.

The Historic Hilton Village Easter Egg Hunt at Hilton Elementary School and the Hilton Ravine on April 16, 2022, at 10 a.m.

Easter Bunny and Scavenger Hunt at the Lee Hall Mansion on April 16, 2022, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Admission is $5 per child.

Why was the Easter Bunny so upset?

To find the answer, fill in the blanks with the underlined words in the article.

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Challenge your thinking skills with this wordle.