The sweet as history of Easter eggs.

It’s the most important chocolate-based event in the Christian calendar.

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Yes, yes. I know it’s all about resurrection, but for many people this is marked by confectionary rather than confession.

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This got me wondering about the history of Easter eggs.

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There is some evidence that they actually pre-date not only Easter but Christianity, with ancient Slavs involving them in worship of a sun god, Dazhboh. I don’t know much about him except he liked birds and was associated with rebirth. Birds’ eggs then became symbols of fertility and rebirth, and were used in rituals.

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So, that’s where the egginess comes from. But what about the colours and designs? For obvious reasons, early Christians stained eggs red. As the festival grew, more colours were added. Eggs were often boiled with flowers to create vibrant patterns. They were sometimes wrapped in onion skins and boiled, or wrapped in leaves to create new designs.

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Interesting. But when did they become chocolate?

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While choccy eggs appeared in the court of Louis XIV, it wasn’t until 1873 when Fry’s developed the first chocolate Easter egg in Britain. A couple years later, a little start-up called Cadbury’s developed a mouldable pure cocoa butter, ensuring their global domination of the egg-shaped treats we enjoy today.

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When it came to cornering the festive market, you could say they cracked it.

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Happy Easter.

- Rob Cook , Senior Copywriter, Cheil New Zealand