Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. Considered Christianity’s most important holy day, it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Depending on which calendar a church follows, some will celebrate Easter earlier than others.
- Before Easter, Passover was the primary holy day celebrated, and it is closely linked with Easter. Jesus’s last supper was a Passover meal. By the 2nd century, Easter (Pascha) was being celebrated alongside Passover as well as pagan spring festivals.
- The tradition of an Easter Bunny comes from medieval Germany where the Osterhase or Easter Hare would lay its colorful eggs in nests prepared by children. Immigrants in the 18th-century settling in the Dutch Pennsylvania countryside brought this fable and tradition with them to the United States.
- Dying eggs is a tradition that dates back thousands of years across many cultures. Eggs have long been a symbol of rebirth, fertility, and life springing forth.
- Americans spend $1.9 billion on Easter candy. That’s the second biggest candy holiday after Halloween
- 70% of Easter candy purchased is chocolate
- 76% of Americans think the ears of a chocolate bunny should be the first to be eaten
- The first story of a rabbit (later named the “Easter Bunny”) hiding eggs in a garden was published in 1680
- President Rutherford B. Hayes created the annual White House “egg roll,” which is still done today.
- “The White House Easter Egg Roll” event has been celebrated by the President of the United States and their families since 1878
- The art of painting eggs is called pysanka, which originated in Ukraine. It involves using wax and dyes to color the egg.
- Peep peep… did you know Americans buy more than 700 million marshmallow Peeps during Easter? This makes Peeps the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.
- Americans consume more than 16 million jelly beans during this holiday. That is enough jelly beans to circle the globe not once, not twice, but three times.
- During the holiday, more than 90 million chocolate bunnies, 91.4 billion eggs and 700 million Peeps are produced each year in the United States alone.
- The UK’s first chocolate egg was produced in 1873 by Fry’s of Bristol.
- Workers in Birmingham, England, who make the famous Cadbury Creme Egg, produce more than 1.5 million egg delights a year.
- It’s estimated that Americans spend $131, on average, every Easter. Between the candy, dinner, and decor, that’s a big chunk of change.
- The largest ever Easter egg hunt was in Florida, where 9,753 children searched for 501,000 eggs.
- In 2018, Americans were estimated to have spent $18.2 billion on Easter.
- Most adults prefer milk chocolate to dark.
- Back in 1933, composer Irving Berlin introduced the Easter Bonnet into American pop culture with his ballad “Easter Parade.” Today, it’s still one of the most popular songs for the holiday.
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