A Brief History Of Easter Eggs: The Best Easter Gift Idea

Easter eggs have a long tradition that goes beyond candy and chocolate.

Today, we mainly associate easter eggs with chocolate. We think of them as sweet delights that we can give away during Easter.

But there is more to Easter eggs than meets the eye. They have a long, rich history which makes you realise that when we buy an Easter egg, we continue a well-established tradition.

Easter Eggs Predate Christianity

The time when the winter season shifts into spring has been celebrated for many years.

In many ancient cultures, giving eggs in spring represented rebirth, fertility and new beginnings.

From ancient historical records, we know that Persians, Romans and Greeks gave eggs as gifts. Even the Ancient Egyptians got in on the act.

The First Chocolate Easter Egg

How did we end up with chocolate Easter eggs?

You can say the humble Easter egg has been on a bit of a journey. The first chocolate Easter eggs were made in France in the early part of the 19th century. But, as they were made from unsweetened chocolate, this new idea never took off.

It wasn’t until 1873 the sweet chocolate Easter egg was created by a company called Fry’s located in Bristol, England.

Painted Easter Eggs

Why do we paint Easter eggs? Painting Easter eggs is yet another tradition associated with gifting eggs at Easter time. Today, we can buy collectable painted Easter eggs from companies such as Royal Copenhagen that annually produce handpainted porcelain eggs.

The tradition of painting eggs comes from Ukraine and is called pysanka. According to Ukrainian tradition, each pattern and colour has a special meaning.

The World’s Largest Easter Egg

Italy has a strong tradition of Easter eggs.

The world’s largest Easter egg was produced in Italy. Despite the egg being produced in 2011

Italy’s record still stands.

The Italian egg weighed in at 7200kg and stood an impressive 10.39m in height. The widest point of the egg measured an astonishing 19.6 meter circumference! This is a record that is going to be hard to beat.

The Most Expensive Easter Egg

Easter is an important time of the year in Russia.

If you were fortunate enough to be a member of the imperial Romanoff family, you would have found yourself gifted with the world’s most expensive Easter egg back in 1913.

The egg was made from platinum, gold, diamonds and rock crystal. The Winter Egg as it was called, contains a small basket of flowers.

In 2002, it sold for US$16.5 making it the world’s most expensive Easter egg.

The egg was part of a series of 53 eggs. Not all of them are accounted for so it is worth your while to look out for eggs made by Faberge.

Easter Egg Hunts

Why do we go on Easter egg hunts?

The tradition of hunting for Easter eggs comes from Germany. Historical records tell us the tradition probably started in the 17th century.

It was Queen Victoria who made the tradition popular in the UK and the rest of the world. Her German mother always arranged Easter Egg hunts for her daughter in the grounds of Royal Palaces in the UK.

Dancing with Easter Eggs

Here is another quirky tradition from Germany.

On Easter Monday, Germans like to celebrate the day with a dance with Easter eggs. The dance is called Eiertanz which means egg dance.

The idea is to place the eggs on the floor and dance around them without breaking them. Good luck!

Egg Rolling In The United States

The White House hosts an annual Easter Egg rolling event on its lawn every year.

The tradition was started by President Rutherford Hayes in 1878. If you are fortunate enough to be invited, you can expect a visit from the Easter Bunny along with music, games and storytelling.

A Criminal Easter

Norway boosts a very strange Easter tradition. Although eggs are given as presents, they may not contain sweet treats.

Instead, they are much more likely to contain a crime novel. The tradition dates back to Easter 1923 when a book publisher advertised its latest crime novel in a leading newspaper.

The marketing idea had an enormous impact. To this day, the Norwegians celebrate with a good crime novel or two.

Easter Letters In Sweden

The Swedes gift Easter eggs to their friends and family. But, this is not the only thing the Swedes gift.

Easter letters are also popular with children. Sometimes, they are folded in such a way that chocolates and sweets can be contained inside.

Why not print off and colour your own Easter letters? You can always fill them with delicious chocolate from Brunetti Oro.

Italian Easter Eggs At Brunetti Oro

In Italy, Easter eggs are often handcrafted. That is a tradition we like to follow here at Brunetti Oro.

In the weeks leading up to Easter, we are not only busy producing delicious cakes. We also love to make the most out of the Italian tradition of Easter eggs.

If you would like to gift an Easter egg or two this Easter, pop down to your local Brunetti store. We have a great choice of eggs that make fantastic gifts or personal treats. Decorate your Easter dinner table with them and your guests will not go home empty-handed!

Wrapping It Up

We are passionate about Easter at Brunetti Oro.

To help you celebrate in style, we take the time to create extra special cakes and chocolates this time of the year. Order a Colomba cake or two. Don’t forget to find out what other tempting Easter delights await you on our counters.

As always, you can personally pop in and say Ciao or use our delivery service. Buona Pasqua!

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