Easter is, as we know, the most important Christian festival, the one that celebrates the Resurrection. It also coincides on the calendar with the old pagan spring festivals that celebrated fertility, new life and the arrival of Spring and what was then, the New Year.

Whether you are a believer or not, that theme of rebirth and renewal runs through the whole Easter festival and is the reason we have certain traditions at this time, some religious and traditional, and some that are simply fun and tasty!!

Like chocolate eggs . . .

And chocolate bunnies . . .

There are so many different designs to choose from in plain, milk or white chocolate.

But why do we associate eggs and rabbits with this time of year? Well, both the hare and rabbit have been fertility symbols since pre-Christian times, and the egg, a symbol of new life, was thought to have magical powers. Eggs were often decorated at springtime to celebrate the arrival of Spring and the new life that brought. In ancient Greece and Rome, the hare was thought to be a hermaphrodite and able to give birth as a virgin, and hence became linked with the Virgin Mary when Christianity became widespread.

In Germany, there began a tradition that the Easter Hare visited children at the end of Lent and if they had been good, he would leave them eggs. Eggs were forbidden to be eaten during Lent so would be a nice treat after having to go without for 40 days. These eggs were often boiled in water containing flowers to give them some colour, and this developed into dying the eggs red (to symbolise the blood of Christ) and eventually to decorating them with all sorts of colours and designs as had been done in pagan times.

The first chocolate Easter eggs were made in Europe in the early 1800’s. Early chocolate couldn’t be moulded, so these eggs were solid and simply wrapped in paper.
The first Cadbury Easter Eggs appeared in 1875 after the Cadbury brothers discovered a process to make large quantities of cocoa butter, which was the secret to making chocolate that could be poured and moulded.

These first eggs were made from plain chocolate with a smooth surface and they were filled with sweets such as sugared almonds. Then decorated eggs were produced with the plain shells covered with marzipan flowers and chocolate piping. This ability to mould the chocolate opened up the door to more elaborate shapes, such as rabbits.
But the question is, what bit do you bite off first. I must admit, I am an ear-biter!!

Of course, there are many other traditional foods associated with Easter: hot cross buns, lamb, ham, simnel cake and a whole host of pastries and cakes unique to different regions of the world.

Will you be eating anything special this Easter? Do you indulge in a chocolate-fest?
Please share pictures, videos, memes, gifs, or just your thoughts on all things Easter, especially the edible bits!!

All are welcome. And please feel free to recommend and share all discussions you enjoy.

There is no obligation to follow any of our informal themes. They are simply for fun. This is an open topic chat thread, so please just post or talk about anything you like!