Easter Egg Hunts and the White House Easter Egg Roll

Among children in the United States, Easter egg hunts are a popular tradition. In modern hunts, both real and plastic eggs are commonly used—the latter often filled with candy or small toys. Sometimes, one or more “prize eggs” are hidden, and the child who finds them receives a treat-filled basket or another special reward.

The first annual White House Easter Egg Roll—a unique event in which children and their parents are invited to roll eggs on the lawn the Monday after Easter—is often credited to Lucy Hayes, wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, in 1878. That year, the event was moved from the U.S. Capitol grounds to the White House lawn.

In the early 1870s, large numbers of children would gather on Capitol Hill on Easter Monday to roll eggs and play. However, concerned about the damage to the lawns from all the foot traffic, Congress and President Ulysses S. Grant passed a law in 1876 banning egg rolling on Capitol grounds.

According to some historical accounts, the following year in 1877, a small boy personally requested permission from President Hayes to use the White House lawn instead. This led Hayes to open the grounds for the Easter egg festivities, beginning a tradition that continues to this day.