How Did Kids' Easter Baskets Begin?

At first glance, many easter gift">easter traditions seem to have little to do with Christianity. I mean, what on earth do eggs, bunnies and baskets have to do with the most important day of the Christian calendar anyway?

But let's look at it another way. easter gift">easter occurs in Springtime, and after a long, cold winter, many cultures in the northern hemisphere have celebrated this time of year for millennia. Long before Christianity, many rituals and legends had taken root, and one of them in particular was based around the fertility goddess Eostre. She may not be worshipped much these days, but her name lives on with the word 'easter gift">easter'!

Myths surrounding her vary from place to place, but she is often depicted surrounded by light and animals. One of the most prominent creatures, who in some legends actually carries her light, is the hare. Perhaps this is not surprising, as they are such prolific breeders, and a perfect symbol for Spring. They also make little hollows in the ground, rather than burrowing like rabbits do, and these were often confused with the ground nests of some birds. No wonder the idea of an egg-laying hare came about!

Ironically, as Europe increasingly turned to Christianity, churches unwittingly propagated some of this folklore. Devout Christians would forgo many items during Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, and one item was eggs. To preserve the eggs that were laid, they were often hard-boiled, and over time, a tradition of coloring and decorating them grew popular.

By the time German settlers arrived in America during the early 18th Century, most of these traditions, both old and new, had come together in new forms. Children started making their own 'hare nests' out of bonnets, hats and straw. If they were good, the Easter hare would leave colored eggs in these nests during the night.

The new traditions caught on over time, and evolved: nests became baskets; hares became the Easter Bunny; eggs were replaced by chocolate and plastic replicas. In fact, nowadays, any small gift can be included in your kids' Easter baskets!

So hopefully that explains where kids' Easter baskets came from. It's not as bizarre a tradition as some may think!