Before diving into your favourite chocolate Easter Egg have you ever taken a moment to wonder where Easter Eggs actually originate from? And no, I’m not talking about your nearest supermarket selling a mass production of chocolate Easter gifts but rather the origin of Easter and why we give Easter Eggs as gifts to one another? 

Easter is commonly believed to be a Christian festival where the death of Jesus is remembered and His resurrection is celebrated, however delve a bit deeper into the history of Easter and we discover an earlier association with pagan rituals and the pagan rights of spring. The name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. A festival called Eastre was held during the spring equinox by the Saxons to honour her. The goddess Eastre’s earthly symbol was the rabbit, which was also known as a symbol of fertility. 

When the Saxons came to Britain in the 5th century they brought this Eastre festival which included re-birth and fertility rituals involving eggs, chicks and rabbits with them. Christianity gradually replaced the indigenous religion of the English Saxons around the 7th and 8th centuries and the Saxons began celebrating the death and the resurrection of Jesus. The death and resurrection took place at the feast of Passover in the Jewish calendar which coincided with Eostre, so that’s what the early church in Britain called the celebration, Eostre or Easter in modern English. 

As well as adopting the pagan festival of Eostre, the Egg, representing fertility and re-birth in pagan times, was also adopted as part of the early Christian Easter festival and it came to represent the ‘resurrection’ or re-birth of Jesus after His death on the cross. In the UK and Europe, the earliest Easter eggs were painted and decorated, a practice still carried on in many parts of the world today. As time passed by, the first chocolate Easter eggs appeared in Germany and France in the early 1800’s and soon spread to the rest of Europe. The first chocolate eggs were solid and they were soon followed by hollow eggs.  By the 20th Century, the moulded Chocolate Easter Egg was fast becoming the Easter gift of choice in the UK and many parts of Europe, and by the 1960’s it was well established worldwide. 

Today you can find almost any Easter Egg of your choice, from the first mass-produced chocolate Easter Egg manufacturer Cadbury to your favourite Organic Easter Egg Chocolate Gifts at http://www.greenandblacksdirect.com. So no matter what your chocolate Easter Egg preference or beliefs of the origins of Easter are, we can all agree that Easter is a time to celebrate and enjoy the festivities that surround this weekend. 

Author: Paul Nel writes on behalf of a company. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – The True Origin Of Chocolate Easter Egg Gifts

Buying Easter gifts for everyone in the family is not an easy task. It needs proper planning and understanding of the requirement of the person who will receive the gift. Giving just any gift may not be a very wise idea as it would remain unused and not so well liked so it is always better to find out what someone wants to have before thinking of buying a gift.

You need to take two things into consideration here – first, the person to whom you are about to present the gifts to, and secondly, that the gift should fall under your budget. The Easter gifts baskets have gained much popularity and momentum, especially among the youngsters, in the recent years. It has become a trend among kids to exchange gifts and greeting cards among themselves. These days, the gift galleries of Hallmark and Archies are stocked with innumerable gift items.

You can also get the personalized gifts in these galleries for different people in your life like mom, dad, best friend, wife, girlfriend, husband, boyfriend etc. Companies like Archies and Hallmark also have online galleries from where these gifts can be bought easily, sitting at the comfort of home.

If you are still confused about what to gift your beloved ones then here are some fun gift ideas for Easter:

• Lovely Gift Baskets for Easter
• Flower bouquets specially for Easter
• Chocolate Bunnies for Easter
• Lovely Easter eggshell with glass ornaments
• Showpiece for the Easter table decoration
• A magnificently decorated flower-vase filed with white lilies
• Exquisite and Adorable Jewelry
• Easter chocolate eggs
• Gift Easter basket stuffed with toys (chicks, bunnies, lambs)
• A special dress for Easter party
• For those who love books, choices are just many and there can’t be significance and the symbols associated with it.
• If you know someone who is beauty conscious, a fabulous gift would be presenting them with some nice grooming kit or products.

It is one of the most popular trends of Easter to exchange greeting cards amongst each other. Kids especially love this custom as they enjoy buying a wide variety of colorful greeting cards for Easter. Though the tradition of gifting relatives and friends with Easter cards is much back dated practice, the companies like Archies and Hallmarks cards have given a boost to this tradition with their huge collection of heart warming Easter greeting cards. This has exalted the sale of Easter greeting cards and gifts year after year.

People spend loads of money after buying these gifts for their loved ones on occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s day. Easter is considered to be the fourth largest greeting-card selling holiday. The e-cards are these days available online, all you need to do is visit the online greeting cards galleries and choose your own card and send it to whoever you desire. There are lovely Easter egg cards and animated bunny cards available that you can send to your loved ones.

However, home made cards have their own importance and they carry a different expression altogether. It is also a great experience for the kids to prepare home made Easter cards at home. Making own cards at home gives you the opportunity to add your own special touch and personalize the cards. It also gives the freedom to taste your own creativity and customize your cards accordingly.

Kids can try making cards by themselves using the colorful crayons and pastels. They can draw cute bunnies and eater eggs and baskets. Kids who know basic computer skills can even create loving Easter cards using the paint option in the computer. Parents must encourage their kids to make Easter cards at home as this add to the fun of Easter. This would make Easter more fun loving and enjoyable for them.

Though the spirit of Easter remains the same, it is interesting to note that different nation and diverse cultures have their own unique customs and traditions. This makes the different regions have their own personalized touch added to the festivity celebration. Everyplace is different and unique from others and this makes it special, and the same holds true when it comes to the Easter customs and traditions of that particular place.

The beauty of different cultures and the diversity of the world are amazingly reflected in their festivity and celebrations. Here is a collection of the different forms of Easter traditions and customs in different parts of the world.

In various parts of England, people have the tradition of eating ham as a part of the Easter tradition. This was done in order to exalt the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Britain, people host special marches and parades to glorify this event. The churches of the region are beautifully decorated with attractive lilies. It is also the time for parties and as a part of the party time celebration; the dance performances are organized for which the Morris dancers are invited. In the smaller towns, the pancake races are organized in this time of the year. People make merry and dance to the tunes of Easter spring-time songs, and enjoy.

In America, Easter is celebrated with annual carnivals, held to honor Lord Jesus’ return to life. The carnivals are held in New Orleans and the major highlights of this carnival are the music troupes and parade. At this time of the year, the American kids have the custom of playing their very favorite game which is known as the Easter egg roll. The Americans just enjoy eating hot cross buns at the time of the Easter spring-time celebration. The sunrise services are also conducted as a part of the American Easter tradition. This event is conducted with the intention of including the various groups of Christian into the celebration.