This Easter, we would like to take a trip down memory lane and showcase your funny — or awkward — precious Easter Bunny photos.

According to Discovery.com, the Easter Bunny’s origin can be traced to 13th-century, pre-Christian Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses.

“According to the University of Florida’s Center for Children’s Literature and Culture … the Teutonic deity Eostra was the goddess of spring and fertility, and feasts were held in her honor on the Vernal Equinox. Her symbol was the rabbit because of the animal’s high reproduction rate.”

The website continues: “The first Easter Bunny legend was documented in the 1500s. By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s, when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the center.”

When it comes to dressing like an Easter Bunny, however, tastes and costumes differ. Unlike Santa Claus, who is human, the Easter Bunny’s visage can be left open to wide interpretation. Should he be white or pink or brown? How long should the ears be? What should the eyes look like?

From photos we’ve seen online of Easter Bunny portraits through the years, the results can be hilarious and sometimes frightening.

Today, we’re sharing a photo of our own Shoptimist blogger Rebecca Holland and her sister posing with an Easter Bunny. She’s the one grudgingly holding his hand; and we can’t figure out what’s going on with those furry shoes?

If you have photos you would like to share, please email them (at 300 dpi or higher) to
extra@roanoke.com.

You also can mail hard copies to Kathy Lu, Easter Bunnies, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, VA 24010.

Please include your full name, hometown, a brief description of who’s in the photo and a phone number for verification purposes.

Photos can be returned upon request.

Deadline for submission: Monday, March 18. Publication date, March 30.

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