Easter Origins

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ; it is the oldest Christian holiday and one of the most important days of the year in the Christian community. Easter doesn’t fall on a fixed date in the normal Gregorian or Julian calendars, which follow the cycle of the sun. Easter instead is determined by the lunar calendar, which is based on the phases of the moon.

Easter is scheduled to fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Equinox around March 21. The March or Vernal Equinox (or the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere) is the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north.

Christians believe Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose again three days later. The three days are known as the Easter Triduum.

The Easter season begins on Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent. Lent lasts 40 days – if you leave out the six Sundays in between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday – and is a time when Christians fast, or give up a particular food or vice. The fasting period is to remember when Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days.

Exchanging Easter Eggs

Easter now mixes the traditions of the Christian church and pagan rituals. The Easter egg is said to symbolise and represent joy, celebration and new life. The exchange or giving of Easter eggs actually dates back to before Easter and the giving of eggs is actually considered a symbol of rebirth in many cultures.

The idea of the Easter bunny giving candies and eggs is said to have originated in Germany during the middle ages. The art of painting eggs is called pysanka, which originated in Ukraine. It involves using wax and dyes to colour the egg.

When it comes to Easter eggs, the tallest one was made in Italy in 2011. It stood 10.39 metres high and weighed an astounding 7,200 kg.

How do you eat your chocolate bunnies?

Other than chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies are one of the most popular treats – 76% of people eat the ears on the chocolate bunny first, 5% go for the feet and 4% for the tail. As for everyone else, they must break it into little pieces and gobble from there!