Easter egg hunting dedicated to the little ones, has become part of the Easter traditions in the Western world. However, do you know where it comes from? This is how the tradition of hiding eggs in the most unexpected places was born and who is Easter Bunny, the bunny who hides them.
Easter is accompanied, as any other holidays, with all the old, local traditions. We all know that the fun of the Easter egg hunting consists in finding as many eggs as possible in the most unexpected places. It is a real treasure hunt. But do you know the origins of this tradition, that is cheering up all the children during this Sunday?
Origins of the Egg Hunting
The tradition of egg hunting was born in Germany, where the Osterhase, the Easter bunny (which is actually a hare), brings to good children the Osterei, a chocolate egg. The custom soon spread from Germany to the United States, imported by German immigrants in the eighteenth century. In English-speaking countries, the Osterhase becomes a rabbit and turns into Easter bunny. All American children, but also British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand children await the Easter bunny, which hides the Easter eggs in the most unexpected corners of the garden, so that they can be found in the great Easter egg hunting.
How the Easter egg hunting is organised
In Anglo-Saxon countries, to prepare a successful Easter egg hunting, parents decorate boiled eggs and hide them. Each child is then given a basket where they can keep the eggs they find and, like a regular treasure hunt, all participants look for cards and clues that help them find the hidden eggs. Whoever finds more eggs wins the treasure that will consist of sweets, chocolate and toys.
In Italy the tradition is getting big chocolate eggs, with gifts inside.
However, for some years, even in Italy this egg hunting has started in a revisited way, which consists in hiding the traditional chocolate eggs in some corner of the house or of the garden.
Happy Easter!
