An Exquisitely Eloquent Account of Easter Eggs

By: Gracie Hanlon

Now that it’s April, Easter is coming up soon. The stores are already covered in bright spring colors and decked out with bunnies, chocolates, and eggs. Plastic eggs to fill with candy, and chocolate eggs too! But why eggs? Why do eggs symbolize Easter? 

Well, one source states that eggs are used during Easter because they represent rebirth or a new life. Which makes sense because it aligns with the religious part of Easter. But there is also another theory as to why eggs are associated with Easter. 

In medieval times, eggs were banned during lent. If you don’t know what lent is, it’s the 40 days before Easter and a common way to participate in lent is by giving up food that is bad for you or setting a goal to accomplish during that time. Eggs aren’t necessarily bad for you but back then they were not allowed. So eggs were used frequently on Easter to celebrate eating them again! So now that old tradition has been twisted into Easter egg hunts for kids and turned into candy as well. 

There are also some interesting theories or superstitions that some people believed in. Some believed that eggs laid on Good Friday would turn into diamonds if you kept them for 100 years. Others believed eggs cooked on Good Friday and consumed on Easter would prevent sudden death and bless them, so doing that became a tradition. 

Years later in 1873, eggs were made into chocolate candies first sold by Fry’s. Cadbury then started selling their eggs and introduced milk chocolate eggs. Many people loved the chocolate eggs and they are still around today! Many other brands and companies have joined in by making their own eggs throughout the years. 

Easter eggs have evolved and changed very much over the years. They went from being forbidden during lent, to superstitions, and now even to chocolate and egg hunts! I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about Easter eggs!

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