Easter is a widely celebrated Christian holiday across the globe and it is characterised by a variety of indulgences, such as Easter eggs.
How did the chocolate-centered eggs become the defining delicacy of the Easter season? Where does this concept even come from?
According to Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church, in the Christian faith, an Easter egg symbolises the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.
“Though an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life,” the church stated.
“Similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe would also experience eternal life,” it added.
In the same way that the Easter egg symbolises a new phase of life, the Easter bunny – which was originally a hare – is considered a symbol of fertility and rebirth.
“The Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called Osterhase or Oschter Haws. Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its coloured eggs,” History.com reported.
This fable then spread across the world and became a practised custom in many families.
The eggs further went through a transition phase where boiled bird eggs were replaced by chocolate eggs.
Chocolate Easter eggs were initially made in Europe in the early 19th century, with France and Germany leading this new artistic confectionery – all thanks to Joseph Fry.
Fry has been credited for producing the first solid chocolate which transformed the way chocolate was consumed.
Therefore, next time you bite into your Easter egg, thank the Germans, the Easter bunny and Fry for their subconscious collaboration.
