Easter is a special holiday to Hans because many Easter traditions started in his home country - Germany! Rabbits and bunnies were first mentioned in association with springtime and Easter in the 1500’s by a German author. That’s around when Europeans first discovered America! The first edible bunny (a cookie) was made in the 1800’s out of pastry and sugar, also in Germany! Hans still thinks his mom makes the best Easter cookies though! Clemens and Hans get to cut out the cookies into bunny shapes and decorate them. Their mom remembers baking the same cookies with her family when she was a child.

Easter is coming up and Hans can’t wait to decorate Easter eggs! The holiday season always begins with decorating eggs. In addition to decorating boiled eggs, Hans and his family decorate hollowed eggs! They poke a hole in each end of an egg and blow out the contents. These eggs are then died and hung from trees and bushes during the week of Easter! Hans’ favorite color to decorate his eggs is blue. He loves the brightness of the blue because it reminds him of the spring sky and the bright colors of Easter eggs stand for the sunlight of spring! His blue eggs also stand out against the green grass when hidden on Easter morning by the Easter bunny!

The Easter bunny, or Oschter Haws, hides all of Hans and Clemens’ eggs. When they look for their eggs in the morning they also find some surprises! Last year they discovered two new soccer balls and blueberry Oom Pah Pah shampoo!

Hans’ town also has an Easter celebration where they exchange their beautifully decorated eggs as gifts and the children play games. Hans’ favorite game involves rolling hard-boiled eggs down a grassy hill by the town’s castle, or burg, and seeing whose egg doesn’t crack! Hans tries his hardest for his egg not to crack, but if it does, he gets to eat it!

Hans wishes everyone a Happy Easter and Spring season!