Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times.

The naming of the celebration itself, ‘Easter’, seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring as a symbol of life renewal.

Rabbits usually give birth to a big litter of babies (called kittens), so they also became a symbol of new life and eggs were an ancient symbol of fertility. The Easter Bunner tradition originated in America, first introduced in the 1700s by German immigrants in Pennsylvania, who reportedly brought over their tradition of an egg-laying hare named “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.”

The holiday falls on April 21 this year and will be celebrated all across the globe.