The truth about whether chocolate firms have taken the word Easter off Easter Eggs
IT'S a common claim that the word Easter is slowly, year by year, being taken off of Easter eggs.
But, how much truth is there to this claim? And has Easter always been on Easter eggs?
Eggs have been used as symbols for new life and rebirth by many cultures and religions throughout history.
For thousands of years Iranians have decorated eggs to celebrate Nowruz, The Iranian new year which falls on the spring equinox.
Christianity in particular associates eggs with the Resurrection of Christ and the stone that is rolled away from Jesus' tomb after his resurrection.
Egg toys made to celebrate Easter were first given to children in the 17th and 18th century.
The toys were hollow and wooden and usually filled with sweets.
It wasn't until the early 19th century that Chocolate Easter eggs were first started to be produced in Europe.
The first Easter egg in the UK is still credited to JS Fry's of Bristol in 1879.
Chocolate eggs were brought into the mainstream in 1905 when Cadburys created milk chocolate.
Since then Easter Eggs have been enjoyed all over the UK for over a hundred years.
Some people say that Chocolate Eggs have stepped away from the Christian tradition and are becoming more and more secular.
Some older eggs show that Easter not being mentioned on Easter eggs has been the norm for decades.
These Rowntrees eggs from their 1922 catalogue make no mention of Easter but clearly show Easter Like themes
The three larger chocolate eggs even use the same pattern that chocolate eggs are moulded into today.
Though the aquatic theme with shells and chocolate fish is a bit of an oddity for Easter
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Another Rowntree's egg from 1926 show's some Easter themes without the mention of an Easter egg.
The themes here are so clear and that you wouldn't even need the title to know these are Easter eggs.
The images of baby birds, rabbits and chocolate are so closely aligned with Easter for most Brits that the word Easter doesn't even need to be mentioned on the packaging.
A spokesperson for Rowntrees had this to say about the packaging for their chocolate eggs: “This is a story that comes up every year but nothing has changed."
"In our confectionery archive we have examples and records of thousands of Easter products from down the decades and most of them don’t refer to Easter explicitly on the packaging."
"Chocolate eggs have been synonymous with Easter and the Easter story since the beginning of the last century so the association is an automatic one and the wording on these products has changed very little over time.”
The more traditional approach is to have the word Easter concealed on the packaging.
In this year's Cadbury's Easter Eggs the Easter appears only on the side or on the back of the chocolate eggs packaging.
A Cadbury's spokesperson said this about their marketing: "We have used the word Easter in our marketing and communications for over 100 years and continue to do so with our current Easter product range."
"We are proud of the role we play within families’ Easter celebrations and have a wide range of products that can be enjoyed throughout the Easter season".
Chocolate eggs occupy the same cultural space as hot cross buns.
Hot cross buns packaging rarely features any mention of Easter and yet we all know that Easter connotations associated with the buns.
Admittedly, the cross is a bit of a giveaway.
But, the part that sticks in your mind is the familiarity of always having certain treats around Easter.
Chocolate eggs have been unanimous with Easter without needing blatant branding to feel a part of the tradition for over a hundred years.
If you do want to celebrate Easter with a more traditional egg you can check out who provide a book about the Christian story of Easter with every egg.
Chocolate companies have always used Easter as a time to show off the best eggs they can make.
And every approach is valid.
But, historically there really isn't much proof to say that Easter is being taken off Easter eggs.
If you are looking for Easter activities The National Trust have several egg hunts for families
Getting ready for having the kids back at home here are the dates for Easter holidays
Looking forward to getting a bit of time off work, more about Good Friday here
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