Easter is arguably the most celebrated holiday of the year – lagging only behind Christmas.
And why wouldn’t it be? We can stuff our faces with chocolate AND grab a short haul break away from work.
So much so, that experts now estimate the feast day to be worth a staggering £2 billion to British retailers.
The first in a series of majestic days starts with the Good Friday bank holiday, before the grand event of Easter on Sunday, and finally coming to a close on bank holiday Monday.
If you’re shopping for last minute chocolate goodies for the kids (and adults of course) or cruising for a quick Easter getaway, you may be interested in learning a little more about the Christian festival and why we have Easter eggs and Easter bunnies.
As Easter Sunday rapidly approaches, FEMAIL asks how the concepts of eggs, bunnies and chocolate came to be in the first place (stock image)
These treats are placed in almost every supermarket in the country – confronting household budgets and diets alike.
The deliciously gooey chocolate tradition has been known to inspire smiling faces and strengthen family bonds.
Here, Femail dives into the origins of both the Easter egg and Easter bunny – as we take an-depth look at the Holy Day, including the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, symbolism, and the ultimate celebration that commemorates the end of the Lenten season.
What is Easter and when do we celebrate it?
For some, the joy of Christmas festivities trump those of Easter, but when it comes to religious importance, Easter lands on top.
Easter by definition is at the very heart of the Christian faith because without it, Christianity would not exist, as it marks the very moment believers say Christ rose from the dead.
Easter celebrates Jesus’ supernatural resurrection from the dead, which is one of the chief doctrines of the Christian faith. The resurrection established Jesus as the Son of God and is referred to as proof that Christ will return in the future and righteously judge the world alongside God His Father.
The festival is preceded by Lent – derived from the old English word ‘lengthen’ – which is a period of 40 days during which Christians recall the events leading up to the death of Jesus on Good Friday.
Easter is a moveable feast, as it rolls on the annual calendar and seldom falls on the same date each year. In 2023, Easter Sunday and Monday will fall on April 8 and April 9 respectively.
Why do we have Easter eggs?
It’s an age-old custom to gobble down chocolate eggs, bunnies and hot cross buns during Easter.
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However, the first chocolate egg in the UK dates back to 1873 when family-owned company, Fry’s unveiled the spherical snack.
Competitors quickly caught on, with Cadbury’s leading the way by launching their very own chocolate Easter eggs two years later.
The egg’s hollow centre is seen by Christians as a symbol of resurrection as it emulates Jesus’ empty tomb after He was crucified on Good Friday. While dormant, it contains a new life sealed within it which hatches 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 discovered that He had risen back to life. Hence today, eggs are seen as a sign of rebirth.
Egg hunts are another way to enjoy this time of year.
An egg hunt incorporates a selection of colourfully decorated or chocolate eggs that are hidden for children to find.
The eggs vary in size, and can be hidden either indoors or outdoors. When the hunt is over, prizes are awarded for the highest number of eggs collected, and are sometimes given for the largest or smallest egg.
Where does the Easter Bunny come from?
To many of the population, bunnies are long-haired bouncing pets that trollop around the backyard leaving merriment and good vibes behind them.
But on a religious scale, the Bible makes no reference to a mythical long-toothed animal who delivers eggs to children for being on their best behaviour.
So where exactly did the Easter bunny come from?
According to folklore, the Easter bunny originates from German Lutherans and originally played the role of a judge, deciding whether children were naughty or nice during the Easter celebration.
Legend has it that the creature carried coloured eggs in a basket, as well as candy and toys to the homes of the best-behaved children.
Another theory explores that pagan Anglo-Saxons held feasts in the spring for Eostre – a pagan fertility goddess of humans and crops whose name inspired the name ‘Easter’.
Eostre transformed a dying bird suffering into a hare so it would survive and even have fur to keep it warm – yet 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 century.
