Why Do We Eat Chocolate Eggs At Easter? - How It Works

Skip to content

• Brain Dump

Why do we eat chocolate eggs at Easter?

by Ailsa Harvey · 11/04/2020

Question from Sandra Jenkins

Eggs are a potent symbol of life, renewal and rebirth dating back millennia. The egg was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. The hard shell of the egg represents the tomb and the emerging chick represents Jesus, whose resurrection conquered death. The tradition of eating eggs on Easter is tied to Lent, the six-week period before Easter during which Christians traditionally abstained from all animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs.

Since chickens continue to lay eggs throughout Lent, people would hard boil the eggs, decorate them and save them for Easter. The modern tradition of eating chocolate eggs at Easter is a fun, kid-friendly twist on this ancient religious ritual, which originated in Europe during the early-19th century.

Answered by Dave Roos for Brain Dump.

To feature in our Brain Dump section, send us your questions to [email protected] or message us on Facebook or Twitter

For more science and technology articles, pick up the latest copy of How It Works from all good retailers or from our website now. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can also download the digital version onto your iOS or Android device. To make sure you never miss an issue of How It Works magazine, subscribe today!

Follow:

Latest post

• 

  Win a pair of Nothing headphones worth £299

More

• Next story Why do rabbits have long ears?
• Previous story How do concrete mixers work?

Get the new issue