The origin of Easter

Easter is both a Christian and a Jewish holiday. It is the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. In the Jewish calendar, it is celebrated on the 14th day of the first month. Easter or Pessa’h is a 2000 year old holiday. It is very old.

Who is it for?

Easter is a celebration for everyone without exception: Jews, Christians, atheists… It is a great event for Christians, because it is the fulfillment of one of the prophecies written in the Bible. They prepare themselves during a whole week: the holy week, in order to be ready for the resurrection of Jesus, the savior. Beyond the religion, Easter is also a universal tradition, very appreciated for its long weekend.

Why this celebration ?

Easter is very important for Christians. As a celebration of Christ’s resurrection, it is a sign of victory for Christians because their savior has conquered death, a phenomenon that no living being can avoid. At that time, as the Bible tells us, the disciples of Jesus visited his tomb on the Sunday after his burial. They discovered that the tomb was empty. They left the place and met their master on their way back. They then spread the good news and Easter became a great feast for believers. This explains why it is celebrated on a Sunday, always following the full moon of spring. And currently, the festivities continue on Easter Monday, which is also a holiday.

Why chocolate for Easter?

In the time of the Persians, Egyptians and Romans, it was common to give each other chicken eggs at the coming of spring to wish each other happiness, renewal, fertility and a good harvest. For the Christians, Lent, the 40 days before Easter, forbade eating eggs. Thus, at the end of Lent, these people offered themselves all the eggs that were produced during this period.

It was in the 15th century, in Alsace, that the idea of decorating eggs to make them more aesthetic and more worthy of being given as gifts appeared. Later, around the 19th century, eggs were turned into chocolates thanks to the development of techniques for creating molds and working the dough, although the country of origin of this tradition is not really known.

But there are also bells and rabbits. Each of these traditions has its origin. The bells, for example, refer to the church bells that could not be rung on Holy Thursday until Sunday. The rabbits, on the other hand, come from a Germanic tradition. These animals are, in fact, an emblem of Ost Ara, the goddess of spring and fertility. Easter has different origins, but remains one of the most celebrated holidays in the world.