Easter is arguably the most celebrated holiday of the year – behind only Christmas.
And why wouldn’t it be? We can stuff our faces with chocolate AND take a short break from work.
So much so, that experts now estimate the holiday at a as much as £2 billion to UK retailers.
The first in a series of majestic days begins with the holiday of Good Friday, before the grand event of Easter on Sunday, and finally ends on Monday’s holiday.
If you’re looking to buy some last-minute chocolate candies for the kids (and adults, of course) or are looking for a quick Easter break, you might want to know a little more about the Christian festival and why we have Easter eggs and Easter bunnies.
As Easter Sunday fast approaches, FEMAIL wonders how the concepts of eggs, bunnies and chocolate came about in the first place (stock image)
These treats are placed in almost every supermarket in the country – both for the household budget and for diets.
The deliciously gooey chocolate tradition is known to inspire smiling faces and strengthen family bonds.
Here, Femail delves into the origins of both the Easter egg and Easter bunny – as we delve deeper into the holy day, including the resurrection of Jesus Christ, symbolism, and the ultimate celebration that commemorates the end of Lent.
What is Easter and when do we celebrate it?
For some, the joy of Christmas festivities surpasses that of Easter, but when it comes to religious importance, Easter comes out on top.
By definition, Easter is at the heart of the Christian faith, for without it Christianity would not exist, as it marks the moment when believers say that Christ has risen from the dead.
Easter celebrates the supernatural resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. Through the resurrection, Jesus became the Son of God and is referred to as evidence that Christ will return in the future and judge the world righteously alongside God, His Father.
The festival is preceded by Lent – derived from the Old English word “lengen” – a 40-day period during which Christians reflect on the events leading up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday.
Easter is a portable celebration as it rolls on the annual calendar and rarely falls on the same date every year. In 2023, Easter Sunday and Monday will fall on April 8 and April 9, respectively.
Why do we have Easter eggs?
It is an age-old custom to gobble down chocolate eggs, bunnies and hot cross buns during Easter.
However, the UK’s first chocolate egg dates back to 1873 when family-owned Fry’s unveiled the spherical snack.
Competition caught on quickly, with Cadbury’s leading the way by launching their own chocolate Easter eggs two years later.
The hollow center of the egg is seen by Christians as a symbol of the Resurrection, as it mimics the empty tomb of Jesus after He was crucified on Good Friday. While it is dormant it contains a new life sealed within it which comes out to signify new life.
The Bible revealed that when the stone covering the tomb was removed, Jesus’ body was nowhere to be found, and people soon learned that He had risen to life again. Therefore, eggs are now seen as a sign of rebirth.
Egg hunting is another way to enjoy this time of year.
An egg hunt involves a selection of colorfully decorated or chocolate eggs that are hidden for children to find.
The eggs vary in size and can be hidden inside or outside. When the hunt is over, prizes are awarded for the largest number of eggs collected and sometimes for the largest or smallest egg.
Where does the Easter bunny come from?
For many of the population, rabbits are long-haired bouncing pets that tow around the backyard, leaving cheer and good vibes behind.
But on a religious scale, the Bible does not refer to a long-toothed mythical animal that delivers eggs to children because they behaved so well.
So where exactly did the Easter bunny come from?
According to folklore, the Easter Bunny originated with German Lutherans and originally played the role of a judge, deciding whether children were naughty or nice during Easter celebrations.
According to legend, the creature carried colored eggs in a basket, as well as sweets and toys, to the homes of the best-behaved children.
Another theory explores that pagan Anglo-Saxons held feasts in the springtime for Eostre – a pagan fertility goddess of people and crops whose name inspired the name ‘Easter’.
Eostre transformed a dying bird that was suffering into a hare so that it would survive and even have fur to keep it warm – but remarkably, it still laid eggs like a bird.
The only known reference to Eostre comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, a British monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth centuries.