Easter, the egg or the chocolate ?
Which came first – Easter, the egg or the chocolate ? The egg has long been a symbol of renewal and rebirth. Though the feast is a moveable one it falls in the springtime season when baby animals such as lambs, bunnies and chickens are foremost in our minds and the buds plant life are showing that re-growth is all around us. Easter is a Christian celebration but has been adapted from pagan traditions. Symbols of rebirth, and traditional religious sacrifice coming from the Norsemen’s, Eastar, Ostara, and Ostar, and the pagan goddess Eostre, all involving the time of the growing sun and new birth. Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg, so the egg as a symbol of new life has been around for centuries. The Easter Bunny arose originally as a symbol of fertility, due to the rapid reproduction of rabbits. But what of the chocolate ? Painted and decorated eggs have been given as gifts during this festival by all cultures an...