Easter Bunny

The "Easter Hare" was a sacred companion of the old goddess of spring Eastre. It has its origin in the pre-Christian fertility lore. (most fertile) They served as symbols of new life during the Spring season long before Jesus Christ was born. Parents told their children that the magic hare would bring them presents at the spring festival...painted eggs. In most places the Easter rabbit (bunny) has replaced the Easter hare completely.
The bunny was first used as a symbol of Easter in the l6th century Germany. The first edible Easter bunnies were made of pastry and sugar around the 1800's.
Children would make nests of grass and place them in their yards. They believed the bunny would fill these "baskets" with colored eggs during the night.
The Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers around the 1700's. The arrival of the "Oschter Haws" was considered "childhood's greatest pleasure next to a visit from Christ-Kindel on Christmas eve.
Later, the boys would use their caps and girls their bonnets to make the nests. Elaborate Easter baskets would come later.
Now, what is the difference between a hare and a rabbit. They both belong to the genus Lepus. Hares are very fast moving. The European Brown Hare can run at speeds of up to 45 mph. Hares are larger than most rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares bear their young in a shallow flattened nest of grass called a form. Babies are born fully furred and with eyes open. The related rabbits and cottontail rabbits have their young in burrows below ground. They are born hairless and blind.
The hare in African folk tales is a trickster...Brer Rabbit. In English folklore the hare appears in the saying "as mad as a March hare". In Irish folklore the hare is often seen as an evil creature....with witches.

Just a little info to read while you eat your hard-boiled eggs.