Gifts
Gifts
Gifts
The Easter holiday is another time of year where longstanding traditions influence the way we gift, celebrate, and spend time with loved ones. Like Christmas, Easter brings forth another generous fictional character, with the Easter Bunny taking the reins to give all manner of chocolatey goodness to girls, boys and grown-ups.
As with the festive period, these traditions have their roots in history. In fact, the origins of the Easter Bunny and Easter egg date back centuries. Both here in the UK and across the pond in the USA, Easter symbols like the egg and bunny play crucial roles. But, how do traditions vary and where does the character of the Easter Bunny actually come from?
As the symbol of all things Easter, the legend of the Easter Bunny is a tale that everyone has heard. The Easter Bunny’s long journey from house to house delivering baskets filled with eggs and other Easter goodies is as magical as Santa Claus.
While Easter is a time regarded for its roots in religion, the Easter Bunny is a pagan tradition that actually pre-dates Christianity. Pagans have long celebrated ‘Eostre’, a festival that paid homage to the spring season and a goddess of the same name. Due to its high reproduction rates, the rabbit is the animal symbol of Eostre, the goddess of spring and fertility.
Despite its long history, the Easter Bunny and the story of it laying brightly coloured eggs and delivering chocolate didn’t make its way to the US until the 18th century. German immigrants are credited with bringing the lovable tale of the Easter Bunny to the USA, with its earliest incarnation actually a hare called ‘Osterhase’.
The Easter Bunny laying eggs may sound odd, yet the connection between eggs, spring and new life makes it a little more fitting.
People have decorated eggs since the 13th century to mark Easter. During these early periods, eating eggs was prohibited during Lent. When Lent did come to an end however, individuals feasted on their beautifully decorated eggs with joy.
Our passion for egg-based food has no doubt got a little sweeter. But it wasn’t until 1873 that the hollow, chocolate eggs we know, love and enjoy eating today were invented. Just decades earlier people were giving artificial eggs as Easter gifts before progressing to solid chocolate eggs later.
If you’d like the Easter Bunny to deliver more than just chocolate eggs this year, shop our huge range of fantastic, quality gifts here.