This Is Why We Eat
Chocolate Bunnies
for Easter Though Easter is
celebrated by Christians
remembering Jesus'
crucifixion and resurrection, chocolate bunnies can be
found everywhere. But according to the
'Encyclopedia of Religion,'
"the Easter bunny has never received
any specific Christian interpretation." That's because much of the Easter bunny tradition is derived from Ostara, the Germanic pre-Christian fertility goddess. The word "Easter" stems
from her name, and it is said that
she used to have a pet rabbit. Her name spawned a fictional
character, Oschter Haws, a rabbit
who gave children eggs on Easter. During the Industrial Revolution,
smooth, solid chocolate
was developed. Meanwhile, Germany started
perfecting chocolate molds, including the form of rabbits. It wasn't until the
late 1800s that the chocolate
bunny made its way to America. One of the best-known first sightings was a
five-foot chocolate rabbit outside a drugstore
in Pennsylvania around 1890. The trend
caught on, and the
rest — is history.
