Children are just so fond of Easter Egg Hunt—it is a wonderful time to mingle with their friends and look for those colorful eggs in exchange of cool and exciting prizes.
Today, it remains as a classic tradition that Christians live by. Interestingly, Easter Egg Hunt has nothing to do with Christianity; instead, it is linked to some Pagan traditions.
The Start of the Easter Egg Hunt
In order for us to understand Easter Egg Hunt better, we should know first why rabbits are associated with Easter.
Popularly known as a symbol of fertility, rabbits were the sacred animal of the Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.
Trivia: The Easter Bunny legend started long ago in Germany with an egg-laying hare named “Osterhase.” German children made nests and left them outside for the hare to lay her eggs in.
It is believed that the idea of an egg-laying rabbit might have started with the Romans, who believed that all life came from eggs.
The connection between the rabbit and the egg also comes from Pagan traditions.
Trivia: The rabbit was associated with the moon and the egg with the sun. On the spring equinox, when day and night are the same length, the rabbit and egg come together.
The First Egg Hunt
It all started in America when German immigrants brought their Osterhase tradition to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Soon after, the festivity spread across the nation, and baskets replaced nests.
Later on, Early Egg Hunts became a treasure hunt game. From hard-boiled eggs, prizes were upgraded to chocolates, candies, toys and coins. In many families, the Easter Bunny leaves a basket filled with gifts, not just eggs to find.
Twisted Easter Egg Hunt
What if a little crack out of the conventional Easter Egg Hunt is made?
Winning Number Egg Hunt
With the use of both plastic and real colored eggs, children can play “Winning Number Egg Hunt”. This is how to play it: On select real colored eggs, put different numbers. Then, put small prizes in the plastic eggs that can include candy, small toys, stickers, coupons, etc. Also, place a number on the real eggs which correspond with a numbered prize. For prizes, you can go for books, stuffed animals, Easter baskets, etc. Children will bring home prizes that correspond to the real eggs they get.
Math Egg Hunt
Learning is also fun with “Math Egg Hunt”. To play this Easter Egg Hunt game, put numbers on all the different eggs. As soon as the children are done collecting as many as they can find, ask them to add up all the numbers. The winner will be the kid who has the highest total, and of course, will be given a special prize.
Easter Coupon Egg Hunt
Children can now deviate from the usual hiding jellybeans in the egg game by creating homemade coupons and stuffing it with those instead. The personalized coupons would definitely be a treat for everyone.
Flashlight Egg Hunt
This next Easter Egg Hunt game is ideal for teenagers. “Flashlight Egg Hunt” aims to amuse grown-ups. It must be done at night time. Paint the eggs with glow in the dark paint, or just give them a flashlight. With this simple new twist, you can definitely change the game into a more exciting one.
Reverse Egg Hunt
Parents can also join the fun with their children. Let the kids hide a few eggs around the house and have the parents hunt for them. The kid whose egg is found last will win a prize for having the best hiding spot.
It is sure that children will enjoy more if one Easter morning they wake up into new and more exciting Easter Egg Hunt activities.