How did Easter egg hunting originate?

Answer 1

Not just a Christian symbol, the egg is a symbol of rebirth and renewal and was a pagan symbol for spring. In European Pagan history there was a goddess called Eostre, whose name gives us both Ostara and Easter. Historically, Eostre was a goddess of fertility, which connects her to both eggs and rabbits. In Persia, eggs have been painted for thousands of years as part of the spring celebration of No Ruz, which is the Zoroastrian new year. The festival of No Ruz predates the reign of Cyrus the Great, whose rule in 580-529 B.C. is about the beginning of Persian history and well before Christ. The Easter Bunny first appeared in 16th-century German writings, and said that if well-behaved children built a nest out of their hats or bonnets, they would be rewarded with brightly colored eggs. The legend of the Easter bunny became part of American folklore in the 18th century, when German immigrants settled in America.

Answer 2

It is not exactly certain how Easter egg hunting originated. In Northern Europe the egg was symbol of fertility and the rabbit was an animal that represented rebirth. The Goddess of Ostara, according to folklore, turned a bird into a rabbit (The reason is not known. It could have been done to amuse some children.) and gave it the ability to lay eggs so that it could still feel like it was a bird. That is why there is the Easter Bunny. But soon the rabbit angered the goddess and she said the rabbit had to give away the eggs. Maybe that is why people hide eggs and hold egg hunts. They want to keep the folklore alive.

Or, the Christians created the game of an egg hunt during the "Burning Times" because they wanted 'shun' the "Old Religion" by hiding eggs from kids instead of giving eggs to the adults.