Chocolate Easter Egg: The History

Why is Easter synonymous with chocolate?

Easter around the world is all about the chocolate. In the lead-up to Easter, the shelves are filled with Easter eggs, Easter treats like peeps, and essentially tons and tons of chocolate.

But where did this trend start? When did chocolate become a symbol of Easter? Is there a reason?

The Origin Story of Easter

Not surprisingly, chocolate is not mentioned in the origin story of Easter, which talks about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, and also talks about his resurrection three days after.

The egg, however, is seen as a symbol of fertility and renewal, and since Easter draws on pagan traditions, feature the egg in the Christian celebration, as well as in pagan springtime rituals.

Easter Egg Decorations

The tradition of decorating eggs is ancient, with cultures such as the Persian, Egyptian and Polish cultures decorating eggs for their New Year, springtime festivals, and so on. In fact, the decorated egg predates Christianity. It eventually found its way into Christianity where it was adopted as the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The early Christians in Mesopotamia would stain boiled eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Where natural dyes like beetroot and onion skin were used to dye eggs, they were sometimes etched with patterns.

The Most Expensive Easter Egg

The name Fabergé is world renowned; it's no surprise that the most expensive Easter egg ever made was a Fabergé creation for the Russian Imperial family back in 1885. Fabergé's lavish eggs were created as gifts for the Tsar's mother and wife; out of the 50 eggs produced, only 43 have ever been located. In 2014, the Third Imperial Egg was recovered from a flea market and valued at $33 million!

Chocolate Easter Eggs

Chocolate Easter eggs came about in the early 19th century and were handmade. As advancements were made in the manufacturing industry, the 1870s saw mass-produced hollow chocolate eggs by famous British chocolatiers Cadbury and J.S Fry & Sons.

Due to Christians abstaining from eggs and other such fats during Lent, eating an Easter egg on Easter Sunday was viewed as a delectable treat, with the tradition continuing and growing in popularity to this day.

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny, originating in Germany in the 17th century and called the Easter Hare, is a mythical character who was said to distribute eggs to well-behaved children (think Santa Claus but with eggs). Why a bunny? Because rabbits and hares have long been considered symbols of fertility!

Buy Easter gifts for friends and family

If you are looking for the next perfect Easter gift for your friends and family, you can do no wrong with chocolate, especially rich artisan Belgian chocolate from Chocobrosia. Whether you're looking for customized chocolate for Easter egg hunts, simple chocolate giveaways, or anything in between, the Chocobrosia team has you covered.

Get in touch with our team today!