Easter Festivities of Yesteryear...
Easter Festivities of Yesteryear...
Every holiday has its own beloved traditions and practices that are usually shared and passed down through the generations, and Easter is no exception. Many of the most widespread customs and traditions of Easter, such as dying eggs, egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and even the use of woven baskets, have their origins many years or even centuries in the past! Read on to learn how, and from where, many of your family's favorite Easter traditions originated.
History of the Easter Bunny
History's first mention of the Easter Bunny is found in 17th century Germany in a tale about how "the osterhase would leave colorful eggs for all the well behaved children at Eastertime." The children would create a nest in anticipation of the visit from the osterhase as well as leaving a well-deserved snack of carrots out for the osterhase. When the immigration to America began, many Europeans who had migrated to the United States brought their holiday traditions and customs along with them.
What about the eggs?
Eostre is sometimes credited with being the inspiration behind the Easter Bunny aka Osterhase, the egg-laying poster child for an American Easter, is said to be the goddess of fertility. The eggs are representative of said fertility. The coloring of the eggs is said to be a Persian practice which started as coloring the eggs red to represent the blood of Jesus Christ. It wasn't until the late 1800s to early 1900s, that giving Easter eggs to children became more popular.
Use of an "Easter Basket"
The hidden meaning behind the use of a basket to hold the eggs at Easter is believed to date back all the way to medieval Catholicism. The Catholic churches would give Easter baskets as a special treats for those who had given up sweets or candies during lent. Another reason is that the Ostrehasse is usually pictured carrying a woven type basket.
Easter Egg Hunts
The egg hunt at Easter is said to have originated in the 16th century in Germany and was organized by Protestant leader, Martin Luther. In those days, the men would hide eggs for the women and children to find.
What About the Candy?
Peeps
In 1910, a 19 year old Russian immigrant named Samuel Born came to the U.S. and by 1917, he had opened his first candy store and in 1923 he opened his first candy manufacturing company and eventually expanded it to Pennsylvania where the very first Peeps were born, pun intended. The first Peeps had wings but they were quickly stopped when it was realized how much faster the delicious marshmallow treats could be produced without the wings. In the 1980s, the Peeps company introduced the bunny-shaped peeps, which increased their popularity significantly. In the 1990s, Peeps began offering different colors to their lineup including pink, blue, lavender, and white. Today, Peeps can be found in many different flavors, colors, and even for different holidays such as ghosts and pumpkins for Halloween.
Chocolate Eggs & Cadbury Eggs
The very first chocolate eggs were made in the 1800s in England and quickly gained popularity across Europe, especially in Germany and France. Of these early chocolate eggs, some were dense and solid, while others were hollow. Inspired by the original chocolate eggs, the first Cadbury Eggs were seen on shelves of grocery stores beginning in 1875. They were dark chocolate eggs and were usually decorated with marzipan designs. By 1893, Cadbury was selling over 50 different Easter candies. Milk chocolate Cadbury Eggs weren't introduced until the early 1900s. The most popular Cadbury Egg today is the Cadbury Creme Egg and it was released in 1971. Cadbury Eggs are now produced in over 25 varieties.
Chocolate Bunnies
The star of the Easter basket is usually the iconic chocolate bunny. The first chocolate bunny appeared in the 1800s and was inspired by the customs and traditions of German immigrants coming to the U.S. In the 1890s, American shop owner, Robert Strohecker, became the first to use a 5-foot-tall chocolate bunny in his window display as a part of an Easter promotion.
Jelly Beans
Jelly Beans were a popular Easter candy during the Victorian era that are believed to have been invented by a Boston man named, William Schrafft. He came up with the idea of molding fruit jellies into the rounded shape similar to beans, which is where they got their name. In the 1930s, they were becoming an Easter staple, due most likely to their round, egg-like shape.
Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns are a yeasted sweet roll that usually includes spices and different fruits such as currents or raisins that is baked and then marked with an a cross using icing. Reportedly hot cross buns have a history that dates back to the 12th century when an Angelicin monk baked the buns and then decorated them with a cross to commemorate Good Friday. They gained more and more popularity with time before becoming an symbol of the start of Easter weekend.
Bake your own this year using this recipe I found at Natasha's Kitchen.
Fun Easter Facts
- The largest ever Easter egg was 25 feet tall and weighed over 8000 pounds. It was made out of chocolate and marshmallow and had to be supported by an internal steel frame.
- Easter is the second best-selling candy holiday in America, only preceded by Halloween, with a reported $1.9 million sales revenue each year.
- 70% of the candy purchased during Easter is chocolate.
- For the last decade, the best-selling non-chocolate candy was Peeps.
- In the U.S. more than 16 billion jelly beans are made in preparation for Easter.
- Americans buy more than 60 million chocolate bunnies for Easter every year.
- 76% of Americans prefer to eat their chocolate bunnies beginning at the top of the ears.
- The painting of eggs at Easter is derived from a Ukrainian tradition.
- Easter lilies are a relatively new addition to the Easter favorites lineup, not catching on until after WWI in the U.S.
- Superstition dictates that wearing new clothing on Easter will bring good luck for the rest of the year.
- The egg roll at the White House is a tradition that was first held in 1878 by Rutherford Hayes.
What sorts of Easter traditions and festivities does your family enjoy? Let me know in the comments below. Be sure to subscribe to the blog to get weekly posts on all sorts of topics in the vintage world and also while you're here, check out this week's Think Ya Know? Thursday on the value of different vintage clocks. And use the button below to shop the 30% off Mother's Day Sale going on this month at TheVintageVixenShop and save on unique, vintage gifts Mom is sure to love. And don't forget that FREE SHIPPING is included on every order! I hope to see you back for next week's post!
Until then, Happy Hunting!
Comments
Post a Comment