Every year as Easter approaches, social media fills up with outraged claims that companies, politicians, institutions or individuals are actively avoiding the word "Easter" and therefore downplaying the traditional religious roots of the Christian holiday, supposedly to avoid offending non-Christians.

This year is no different in Germany, with a debate breaking out over the traditional chocolate Easter bunny (Osterhase) which, according to some social media users, has been renamed "sitting bunny" (Sitzhase) by leading supermarkets.

Have Easter bunnies been renamed in Germany?

Claim: "The sitting bunny is forcing out the Easter bunny," wrote Johann Martel, a member of parliament for the far-right populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), in a post on X which has been viewed almost 200,000 times. He used this claim to bolster the AfD's racist and Islamaphobic platform, which insists Germany is becoming more Muslim and less Christian. 

DW fact check: False.

It is true that the German discount supermarket chain Lidl sells one chocolate rabbit called a "Sitzhase" (sitting bunny) from the brand Favorina — or at least it did. But it also sells many products that specifically highlight the Easter theme.

 One offer that DW found online has since ended, while a similar product on Lidl's Swiss website has seemingly been renamed to "Osterhase sitzend mit Schleife" (Easter bunny sitting with bow). But the original web address listed in Google's image search suggests it was initially called a "Sitzhase mit Schleife" (sitting bunny with bow).

"Lidl describes some chocolate bunnies in Germany as 'sitting bunnies' in order to clearly distinguish them from other products," the company told German public broadcaster ARD. "Customers will also find products which use the term 'Easter bunny.'"

Elsewhere in its Easter collection, Lidl also sells decorative ceramic and straw "Osterhasen" (Easter bunnies) figurines, an "Osterkranz" (Easter wreath), "Oster-Berliner" (Easter donuts), "Osterei-Pralinen" (Easter egg pralines), an "Osterstrauss" (Easter flower bouquet), an "Osterkorb" (Easter basket), a baked "Osterhase" (Easter bunny) pastry, and an assortment of chocolates branded "Ostermischung" (Easter mix).

Meanwhile, rival supermarket chain Aldi not only sells a "Sitzhase" but also a "Stehhase" (standing bunny). The difference, as you may have guessed, is that one of the bunnies is in a seated, crouched position, while the other is depicted standing up.

Aldi also sells a "Kinder-Osterhase" (children's Easter bunny) and "Mini-Ostereier" (mini Easter eggs) in their "Oster-Sortiment" (Easter collection), which also features various "Oster-Süssigkeiten" (Easter candies).

Is this a new development?

No, it's not. Well-known German supermarkets and brands have been using alternative names for chocolate Easter bunnies for decades.

According to its own marketing brochure, Milka's popular purple "Schmunzelhase" (grinning bunny) dates back to 1973, while the famous "Goldhase" (golden bunny) with a little bell around its neck from Swiss chocolatier Lindt has been around since 1952.

In fact, an advert for the supposedly controversial "Sitzhase" can be found in a local paper in the town of Ahaus in northwestern Germany as early as April 1938 .

What have chocolate bunnies got to do with Easter anyway?

"In two weeks, it's Easter — or is it the 'sitting bunny' festival?" raged one X user with over 24,500 followers, including AfD leader Alice Weidel . They argued that the Easter bunny was linked to the Christian belief that Jesus, the son of God, was resurrected from death on Easter Sunday.

The resurrection of Jesus, as described in the Bible, is one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. But what exactly have chocolate bunnies got to do with it?

Rabbits, which tend to give birth to large litters in the springtime, have long been associated with fertility and new life, going back to pagan and ancient traditions, as this research by the public broadcaster BBC suggested. According to the educational website History.com, which is run by the media company A&E Television Networks, 18th century German immigrants to the United States took with them "a tradition of an egg-laying hare" which they called the "Osterhase" (Easter bunny).

This fact check was produced in collaboration with German public broadcaster ARD. It was edited by Kathrin Wesolowski.