Where Did Chocolate Easter Eggs and Chocolate Bunnys Come From?

Easter is one of the most treasured of Christian holidays, so why is it second in chocolate sales to Halloween? How did such a sacred Christian event become a fun filled day of hunting for chocolate eggs brought by a bunny? As all religions are, it is intertwined with the Pagan beliefs and holidays; while it does have some meaning for what Easter represents which is the resurrection or rebirth of Christ.

The Pagans believe that eggs represent fertility and rebirth; and the Christians adopted that theory in the 1800's. They began to use the image of the egg in the Easter festivities in turn representing the rising of Christ. The story of the Easter bunny is very similar to the story of the egg. Again, when Christians were first converting they were viewed as heretics, so they needed to be able to disguise their practices. They began to celebrate their holy days in line with the Pagan festivals that were already widely accepted and celebrated. This meant that the beginning of spring was celebrated in the Pagan belief as the festival of Eastre, which is the goddess of offspring and springtime. The goddess would make her earthly appearance in the form of a rabbit; hence the Easter bunny.

The story of chocolate is very different from the egg and the rabbit and has nothing to do with the Pagan beliefs. It actually started in the 16^th century when Queen Elizabeth I banned hot cross buns because of its association with Catholicism; although, she would allow the pastry to be consumed during the Easter holiday. They became so popular all through Europe that the chocolate makers wanted to capitalize on their popularity, especially at Easter. So the chocolate makers decided to make egg shaped chocolate for Easter. The eggs were originally made solid because of the chocolates texture; however, after the industrial revolution machines were built that created hollow eggs.

These treasures that we seek every spring now have a meaning. It all makes sense in how they came to be. Of course most people don't know the meaning behind the bunny and eggs, but still enjoy the annual custom. By the 1960's it was recognized worldwide and the chocolate makers expanded upon the bunny by creating all sorts of springtime figures out of chocolate. The number one seller is still the Easter bunny at an amazing ninety million worldwide. So, there is no need to feel guilty about eating the chocolate eggs and bunnies. There is actually some legitimate tradition that goes along with the chocolaty goodness.