Easter Chocolate - The Origin

March 28, 2024
Agri-Can News
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Easter is one of the most important holidays of the year, awaited as much by children as by adults but also by chocolatiers who generate a large part of their turnover on this occasion! I recently learned about the origins of this tradition of offering chocolate in all its forms during Easter. I found both the legend and the facts interesting and I want to share it with you, like you share your chocolate!

Where does the Easter egg tradition come from?

From Ancient Greece to Egypt and the Orient, eggs were a sign of renewal and rebirth with the arrival of spring. In the Christian religion, Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ. It is also a celebration which marks the end of Lent, a period of forty days during which the consumption of eggs was prohibited by the Church during the Middle Ages.

At that time, it was customary to keep eggs until the end of the fast, some eggs were also decorated. The chocolate egg appeared in the 18th century when people had the idea of emptying eggs to fill them with chocolate, a way of marking the end of the fast.

It was only in the 19th century, in 1830 to be exact, that eggs made entirely of chocolate appeared in France, with the invention of molds. However, it was none other than the Englishman, Mr. Cadbury himself, who had the idea of linking chocolate and Easter traditions with the first chocolate egg, followed by the chickens, bells and rabbits that we know!

Did you know that chocolate eggs containing little treats are an invention of Russian jeweler, Peter Carl Fabergé? Surprising isn’t it! The Tsar, Alexander III, had commissioned him to create the most beautiful gift for Tsarina Maria. He was therefore inspired by the principle of Russian dolls (matryochkas) for his creation.

The Easter Bells Legend

Why bells you ask me? Here again, the explanation is religious: during Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday, it is forbidden to ring church bells. Children were sometimes told that the bells had gone on a trip to Rome to be blessed by the Pope and then on their return they dumped the eggs in the gardens before chiming even more beautifully after finding their place in the bell towers! This is the origin of chocolate bells.

All that's left are the chocolate chickens! This comes to us from Germany and Eastern France. This animal symbolizes fertility and the beginning of spring and is the emblem of the Norse goddess Ostara.

Now that you know all these beautiful things about your chocolate egg, bell and bunny, enjoy!

Happy Easter!