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