Sure, we all know about the Easter Bunny and we all look forward to over indulging in the sweet treats this time of year brings, but how did the Easter Bunny and chocolaty gifts start?

For some Easter is a deeply religious time, for others not so much, but the story seems to get a little hazy. The history of Easter comes with many different tales of how it came to be!

Some folklore claims Eostre the pagan goddess of spring and fertility found a dying bird and transformed it into a rabbit so its fur would keep it warm in the cold. Once the now rabbit (still internally a bird) recovered it would lay eggs and decorate them as gifts to show his appreciation to Eostre.

Some say the dyeing of Easter eggs dates back to the days of Mary Magdalene and the resurrection of Jesus. While she explained the resurrection to the emperor, the emperor quickly trumpeted back “Jesus’ rising from the dead is as likely as that egg your holding turning red” when suddenly the white egg she held in her hand began to turn a bright red. Which, some believe to be the start of Egg Sunday.

So where does the chocolate come in? The introduction of chocolate to Easter began in Europe in the 19th century. Children were told to create special straw nests for the Easter Bunny to leave chocolate Easter eggs in.

Nobody is truly sure how or what started Easter, all we know is that come Saturday night we’ll have a big nest ready for a chocolaty surprise.