Chocolate Bunnies, Easter Eggs and Bizarre Easter Traditions

Easter Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies are part of the joy and celebration of Easter.  From Easter egg hunts to decorating hard boiled eggs, families and cultures all have their own traditions.

On the Christian calendar Easter Sunday is the day you celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  It is thought Easter Eggs celebrate new life and new beginnings and are a symbol of resurrection. 

The egg and bunny are linked to pagan spring festivals.  In Europe the spring equinox often falls the same time as Easter and the egg and hare are symbols of new life and fertility.

The Easter bunny is believed to be a German tradition.  The Easter bunny visits homes the night before Easter Sunday and delivers (or hides) Easter Eggs for children to find the next day. 
Easter eggs were originally a candy type paste.  Advances in chocolate made it possible to make the delicious chocolate eggs we are familiar with today.  German settlers in America spread the joy of the Easter bunny and it has now become a strong tradition in a number of cultures including our own.

New Zealand has developed its own Easter tradition – chocolate covered marshmallow eggs.  In my mother’s research for her chocolate book she discovered that one year Heards made and hand foiled over 3 million marshmallow eggs!

Some of the more interesting Easter traditions which you may like to make into your own include:

“Egg tapping” - each player is given a hardboiled egg and each player hits the other eggs with their own.  The winner is the person whose egg is left intact.

Egg dancing – place eggs on the floor and dance around them trying not to break them, my suggestion would be to use marshmallow eggs, they stand up to a bit of squashing if you miss.  The adult only version could be to add a few glasses of wine in the mix to make a real party.

A family friendly Easter activity and one I did as a child is dying hard boiled eggs with onion and strings, to make nice patterns, and you can eat the eggs afterwards.

Happy Easter from the team at Devonport Chocolates and whether you celebrate Easter or use it as an opportunity to catch up with family and friends, do it safely and enjoy a little chocolate along the way.