Chocolate Bunnies: An Easter Tradition
April 8, 2020
It's no secret that chocolate is a crowd favorite, and if you're reading this blog, I'm sure you agree!
As spring comes around, and Easter gets closer, you might notice that chocolate bars are suddenly being replaced with chocolate bunnies. I'm sure this is something you have always accepted and never really questioned - but where did this strange tradition of chocolate Easter bunnies come from?
Easter has long been associated with symbolic foods, stemming from pagan and then Christian traditions. But if you've ever sat through a church service or grew up taking years of Sunday school, you'd know that rabbits and chocolate aren't ever mentioned in scriptures!
In Christianity, Easter is celebrated as the day of Jesus' resurrection, but chocolate in the shape of fuzzy rodents has nothing to do with this.
There are many theories as to why these cute little creatures are associated with Easter.
Some think it's because rabbits are often used as a symbol of new life. So a rabbit symbolically represents Jesus coming back to life, makes sense right?
However, the chocolate aspect of this tradition is slightly less deep and meaningful. Not that I'm complaining, it still gives me a reason to stuff my face with chocolate!
We can really give a big thank-you to Robert Strohecker. He took this idea of an Easter bunny and, in 1890, placed a 5-foot-tall chocolate bunny in his department store window to draw in more business during the holiday.
This idea came from the German immigrants that arrived in the United States and shared their stories of an egg-laying rabbit that brought candy and chocolate offerings to children. In fact, the word "Easter" (which is Ostern in German) is derived from the fertility goddess Ostara that is said to have kept a beautiful hare as a sidekick.
By the 20th century, chocolate companies hopped (ha, pun intended!) on the band wagon and began using holidays to sell more chocolate. Easter is now second, only to Halloween, in American candy sales. That's a crazy amount of chocolate!
Check out the variety of chocolate Easter bunnies available from Amazon.
Relax with Chocolate and Wine
The CUO Chocolate and Wine Tasting Guide will show you how to pair chocolate and wine for amazing experiences of your own or, if you're stuck at home, have a virtual tasting online with friends!
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Love it, that was great!