The Easter egg: origins and meaning

Today the Easter egg immediately makes us think of a chocolate egg with a surprise inside, but it is an ancient traditional symbol in many cultures, even among the Persians, the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Chinese.

At Easter, the early Christians used to paint eggs red, in memory of the blood of Christ, and then decorate them with sacred symbols and crosses.

Until a few decades ago, during Lent, eating eggs was forbidden as well as meat. For this reason the faithful, so as not to waste them, used to boil and paint them and then give them as gifts. This tradition is said to have begun in the Middle Ages in Germany, where eggs were wrapped in leaves and flowers to colour them naturally.

The tradition evolved further in more recent centuries when, among the wealthier classes, replica eggs became true works of art, made of precious metals and finely decorated, to be exchanged as gifts at Easter. Some of the finest examples are the works of the goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé, who between 1885 and 1917 made these eggs for the Russian tsars in gold or other precious metals, each holding inside a gift as precious as the egg itself.

Finally, the chocolate egg was born thanks to the Dutch confectioner Van Houten, who in 1828 devised a concave mould to make thin eggs, hollow inside so that a small surprise could be placed within.

Today chocolate Easter eggs are one of the most eagerly awaited treats of Easter and, alongside the traditional ones, there are many special and innovative ones, each better than the last!

So as not to be caught unprepared, and above all not to find your favourite egg sold out, this year too you can order your chocolate egg – the one you smash open with your fist – online and have it delivered to your home or wherever you like 🙂