TIMELINE: Looking into the history of Easter

Easter, a Christian holiday, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A tradition that begins with Ash Wednesday or Lent – a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice – and ends with Holy Week. Holy Week includes: Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Jesus’ death; Holy Thursday, the celebration of The Last Supper; Good Friday, the day to observe Jesus’ crucifixion; and Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead.

Through the passage of time, common traditions have been practiced to celebrate the Easter holiday. For example, the Easter Bunny has been a staple in the American tradition for decades, as have many other symbols of Easter.

The first story of rabbit hiding Easter eggs in a garden was published.

The Easter bunny tradition first arrives in the U.S. with German immigrants. The “Osterhase” or “Easter Bunny” brings brightly colored eggs filled with chocolate and small gifts to well-behaved children, hiding them in nests and through time replaced by Easter baskets. Since rabbits are known to be fast reproducers and birds lay eggs, the eggs and rabbits represent fertility and birth.

Easter egg hunts and egg rolls become popular among families and children across the world. The tradition of decorating eggs dates back thousands of years. Most notably, Russian royalty began the practice of exchanging lavishly decorated eggs. Europe began the trend of exchanging chocolate eggs.

John Cadbury makes the first chocolate Cadbury Easter Eggs, which were made of dark chocolate with a decorated surface filed with sugared almonds.

President Rutherford B. Hayes hosts the White House lawn’s first Easter egg roll, an activity that signifies the rolling away of the stone from the entrance of Jesus’ tomb.

New York City’s Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival is held in the streets of Fifth Avenue each Easter. Made famous by Irving Berlin and Judy Garland’s film "Easter Parade," and famous song, “In Your Easter Bonnet.”

The House of Faberge begins creating jewel-encrusted eggs for Russian royalty — most famously, for the Czars to gift the eggs to their wives and loved ones.

Jellybeans begin appearing in American Easter baskets. Today, 16 billion of the egg-shaped candies are manufactured each year in the U.S. specifically for Easter.

Hollow chocolate rabbits were introduced in America, but reached a halt in 1942 because of World War II, in which cacao was rationed in order to cater to military personnel.

Just Born creates Peeps, the beloved, brightly colored marshmallow chicks. Today, the company sells 700 million Peeps each year.

All of these events led to the Easter traditions celebrated today.