Once again, just as it happens each Easter, here comes Peter Cottontail.

But even as the animated flick “Hop” jumps up the box-office rankings and tykes all over the nation get ready to scramble for the beloved annual tradition of the Easter egg hunt, we take a moment to ask: What exactly does the Easter Bunny have to do with the resurrection of Christ? (Not so much.) And why does the bunny hide eggs anyway?

As Bugs might say, What’s up, Doc?

Although the true origins of the Easter Bunny may remain lost in the mists of time, many point to the springtime celebrations of 13th-century Germany. One of the deities worshipped was Eostre, the goddess of spring and the dawn who has been portrayed as a comely maiden carrying a basket filled with dyed-red eggs and a pair of cuddly little baby hares.

Over time, some say, the goddess got lost — but the bunny and the eggs stuck.

“It’s really a lovely tradition,” says Scot M. Guenter, professor of American studies at San Jose State. “The bunny symbolizes fecundity and the eggs represent the cycle of life.”

In fact, these customs may go even further back in antiquity. Some say giving eggs in spring might trace back to the Persians and that the bunny first popped up in Celtic lore. The bottom line is that when our little children are hunting around in the grass, they may be hearkening back to pagan fertility rituals. So how did these ancient rites get woven into the fabric of a Christian holiday commemorating the rebirth of Christ?

“As the church moved around the globe, it assimilated a lot of the local culture,” says Guenter. “It’s a way of getting your system accepted. You build on what was there before.”

“People say ‘pagan’ as if it were pejorative, but it’s not,” says Janet Giddings, professor of theology at Santa Clara University. “That’s the beauty of Catholicism. In the long trajectory of history, we pick up a little of this and a little of that.”