Many Easter traditions can be traced back to long before the spread of Christianity. The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with a festival honoring their goddess of offspring and springtime, Eastre. The Easter Bunny may well have its origin in the honoring of rabbits in spring as an animal sacred to the goddess Eastre.
          The egg has long been a symbol of new life, so it’s no surprise that they are used to symbolize nature seeming to “wake up” and bring forward new life in spring. Ancient Greeks and Egyptians placed eggs on their tombs. A Roman proverb states, “All life comes from an egg.” A lot of people eat chocolate eggs at Easter, but originally eating eggs was not allowed by church leaders during the week leading up to Easter (known as Holy Week). The eggs laid that week were saved and decorated to make them Holy Week eggs, and they were then given to children as gifts. Victorians adapted the tradition with satin-covered cardboard eggs filled with Easter gifts. This has now developed into the tradition that many people enjoy today. The first chocolate eggs appeared in France and Germany in the 19th Century, but they were bitter and hard. As chocolate-making techniques improved, hollow eggs like the ones we have today were developed. They very quickly became popular and remain a favorite tradition with chocolate-lovers today.
         There were a lot of disputes between churches in the East and the West over exactly when Easter should be celebrated. To solve this problem, in 325 AD the emperor Constantine decreed that Easter should fall on Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. Accordingly, Easter became a movable festival, taking place between March 21 and April 25. For many, Easter is a holiday and an excuse to eat a lot of chocolate. For Christians, Easter is a time of reflection and celebration of the cross and all that it signifies.