<P> The Easter Bunny ( also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare ) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter , depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs . Originating among German Lutherans , the `` Easter Hare '' originally played the role of a judge , evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide . The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted with clothes . In legend , the creature carries colored eggs in his basket , candy , and sometimes also toys to the homes of children , and as such shows similarities to Santa Claus or the Christkind , as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holidays . The custom was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau 's De ovis paschalibus ( ' About Easter Eggs ' ) in 1682 , referring to a German tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter eggs for the children . </P>
where did the legend of the easter bunny come from
German Lutherans