Hippity, Hoppity, Happity Easter

Light blue text over an illustration of a brown bunny holding a purple tulip on a yellow background

The illustration of a bunny holding a tulip celebrates Easter and springtime. Traditionally, tulips are the most colorful of flowers associated with the season; they are spring-blooming perennials. Rabbits and bunnies are usually associated with spring and rebirth. A typical spring tradition is the Easter Bunny, who goes from house to house, leaving colored eggs and candy for children. 

The custom in America may have begun in Pennsylvania from German immigrants. They believed in a mythological springtime figure named "Ostara" or "Osterhase," which was symbolic of new life and the coming spring. In the spring, Osterhase laid eggs and gave gifts to children. This myth eventually transformed into the modern Easter Bunny. The tradition is still practiced; children fill baskets with plastic grass, waiting for the Easter Bunny to fill their basket with gifts. Some regional cultures vary the tradition where children leave out a plate of carrots in case the bunny gets hungry. The addition of chocolates to the basket's offerings started around the late 19th century.