The Easter Bunny has become an important figure of the Easter celebrations.

No one knows the exact origins of this tradition but the rabbit is an ancient symbol of fertility and new life due to their prolific reproduction.

The first Easter Bunny is said to have hopped into America in the 1700’s thanks to German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and brought with them the tales of an egg laying hare called the “Osterhase” or “Oscher Haws”. Children made nests so that the bunnies could lay their coloured eggs – colouring eggs was a custom introduced by Ukrainian immigrants to USA, who used wax and dyes – which the children found on Easter morning.

The custom became more popular and children made decorated baskets and the coloured eggs were replaced by chocolate and sweets, a tradition that still continues today with Easter Egg hunts.

And the eggs…

This could be be linked to pagan traditions. The egg, again an ancient symbol of fertility and rebirth, linked to spring to celebrate new life.
Another explanation is where people observe Lent, eggs are a forbidden food, so they are eaten at Easter after fasting.

The first chocolate egg was made by Frys of Bristol in 1873, thank you Frys!

The most expensive egg was made by La Maison du Chocolat in 2006 and cost a whopping £50,000 – who wouldn’t want an egg with 100 half carat diamonds encrusted in its shell?

And the tallest egg was made in Italy in 2006, as tall as a giraffe standing at 10.39 metres and weighing in heavier than an elephant at 7.200 kg.

Easter is the second biggest time to consume chocolate after Halloween, with milk chocolate being the most popular chocolate of choice.

Poor bunny, 76% of people say they always bite the ears of the bunny first.

And of course, our favourite Easter treat, The Cadbury’s Creme Egg – there’s only 500 million of them produced each year… better get eating then.