A short history of the Easter egg

In the midst of the ridiculous row over whether the National Trust’s “Great British Egg Hunt” has neglected the religious significance of Easter, in this article the “Guardian” newspaper offers a potted history of the Easter egg as follows:

“Eggs at Easter are thought to have their origins in pagan rather Christian traditions. Now the consumption of chocolate is indelibly associated with Easter, and has become an industry worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Pagan festivals to celebrate the start of spring incorporated eggs as a symbol of fertility and new life.

Eggs became important in Christian festivities when the church forbade their consumption during Lent. People began to decorate them, perhaps as symbols of the resurrection, to be eaten after the fast.

Later, eggs made from cardboard and covered in satin were filled with small gifts and sweets.

The first solid chocolate eggs appeared in the 19th century in France and Germany, with Britain following suit. It took confectioners many decades to perfect the production of hollow chocolate eggs. The first creme eggs were sold in the 1920s.

Easter egg hunts have grown in popularity. Some 350,000 people are expected to take part in egg hunts at National Trust sites this year.”


 




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