Easter Trivia

The children might not be nestled all snug in their beds this time of year, but chances are many of them are waiting for the Easter Bunny to come pay them a visit. Yes, Easter brings a spring cornucopia of good wishes, colorful goodies and fun. So how did it all get started? And while we’re on the subject, how did a basket-giving rabbit get mixed up in everything? The answers to those questions and more await you...

That rabbit. Easter is named for the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eastre. Her symbols— well, you guessed it— were a hare and an egg. German immigrants in the 1700’s are believed to have first brought the Easter Bunny to the U.S.

The Easter Bilby. Rather than celebrating with bunnies, Australians have increasingly turned to long-eared native marsupials called Bilbys to usher in Easter. 

That candy. Forget Christmas Candy. Easter is second only to Halloween in term of candy sales.

An old-school jelly bean. In the 1910’s, jelly bean had a different meaning. A ‘jelly bean’ was a ne’er-do-well man who dressed in fancy clothes and put on airs hoping to attract an unwitting mate.

Pretzels, anyone? Pretzels usually aren’t at the top of the shopping list for this holiday, but they used to be an Easter treat to rival jelly beans. The twist in the traditional pretzel is supposed to represent arms folded in prayer.

Don’t Forget the Eggs. The art of painting eggs is believed to have started over two thousand years ago somewhere around modern-day Ukraine, and is called ‘pysanka.’

There you have it! Have a safe and Happy Easter.