Every year in spring, shops have rows and rows of branded chocolate eggs in preparation for Easter Sunday.
Nowadays, there are plenty to choose from - from different sizes and flavours to the treat you get alongside it.
But where did this tradition come from, and why do people get eggs at Easter?
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Easter, of course, is a religious holiday and is believed to be when Jesus rose again after dying for the sins of Christians on Good Friday.
Though there is no biblical association with eggs, many use symbols of new life to celebrate Easter. Eggs are often included as part of this.
They are considered to be a metaphor for Christ’s resurrection.
Eggs can also symbolise the resurrection in a different way.
When Mary Magdalene returned to Christ’s resting place on Easter Sunday, the stone which had blocked the tomb's entrance had been rolled away.
Christ’s body was missing, as, according to Christian belief, he had risen again. Eggs, to some Christians, represent the stone, Chronicle Live reported.
Easter eggs, according to history.com, are “likely” linked to pagan traditions. “The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, has been associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring,” a post on the site said.
Some sources claim that decorative eggs used as part of the celebration date back to at least the 13th century, while others estimate that they have been around for longer
“One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during the Lenten season, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration,” according to history.com.
Decorated eggs would often be given as presents throughout the Christian world.
The Catholic Church’s Roman Ritual, which was first published in the 16th century, mentions Easter blessings, where food, including eggs, was blessed. Some early Christians painted decorated eggs red, to symbolise the blood Jesus shed for them.
Chocolate eggs started to appear in Europe in the 1700s.
The first chocolate Easter egg appeared in Britain in 1873 and was introduced by J.S. Fry & Sons of England.
Wikipedia credits Cadbury as having “created the modern chocolate Easter egg” in 1857.
Early chocolate eggs were filled with sugared almonds, but Cadbury cracked the recipe for making moulded eggs.
The Birmingham-based chocolate masters say it introduced pure cocoa in 1866, which made it easier to produce eggs with large amounts of cocoa butter. Cadbury said: “This was the secret of making moulded chocolate or indeed, any fine eating chocolate,” reports Chronicle Live.
In 1905, Cadbury introduced Dairy Milk, which boosted sales as milk chocolate eggs overtook dark chocolate.
There you have it. Now, while you’re enjoying your Easter egg this weekend, you’ll be able to impress those around you with the knowledge of where they came from.
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