Easter Eggs

The Easter Bunny (known generically as the Spring Bunny in some parts of the United States) is a fantasy or mythological giving rabbit which leaves gifts for children at Easter ( or at springtime ). It originates in Western European cultures, where it is a hare rather than a rabbit. 

Easter eggs, also known as Spring eggs in the United States, are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime.

The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute eggs made from chocolate, or plastic eggs filled with candy such as jellybeans.Candy Easter eggs can be any form of confectionery such as hollow chocolate eggs wrapped in brightly-colored foil. Some are delicately constructed of spun sugar and pastry decorationtechniques. The ubiquitous jelly egg or jellybean is made from sugar-coated pectin candy. These are often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning.

Decorated eggs are much older than Easter, and both eggs and rabbits are age-old fertility symbols. The Passover Sedar service uses a hard-cooked egg flavored with salt water as a symbol both of new life and the Temple service in Jerusalem. The Jewish tradition may have come from earlier Roman Spring feasts.

Easter egg origin stories abound—one has an emperor claiming that the Resurrection was as likely as eggs turning red; more prosaically the Easter egg tradition may have celebrated the end of the privations of Lent. In the West, eggs were seen as "meat", which would have been forbidden during Lent. Likewise, in Eastern Christianity, both meat and dairy were prohibited during the fast, and eggs were seen as "dairy" (a foodstuff that could be taken from an animal without shedding its blood). One would have been forced to hard boil the eggs that the chickens produced so as not to waste food, and for this reason the Spanish dish hornazo (traditionally eaten on and around Easter) contains hard-boiled eggs as a primary ingredient.

Easter eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Poland and other Slavic countries' folk traditions. A batik-like decorating process known as pisanka produces intricate, brilliantly-colored eggs. The celebrated Faberge workshops created exquisite jewelled Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court. A 27-foot (9 m) sculpture of a pisanka stands in Vegreville, Alberta.

There are many other decoration techniques and numerous traditions of giving them as a token of friendship, love or good wishes. A tradition exists in some parts of Britain (such as Scotland) of rolling painted eggs down steep hills on Easter Sunday. In the U.S., such an Easter egg roll (unrelated to an eggroll) is often done on flat ground, pushed along with a spoon. The most well-known egg roll is done at the White House. An Easter egg hunt is a common festive activity, where eggs are hidden outdoors (or indoors if in bad weather) for children to run around and find. This may also be a contest to see who can collect the most eggs.

When boiling hard-cooked eggs for Easter, a popular tan colour can be achieved by boiling the eggs with onion skin.

Deep-fried chocolate Easter eggs are sold around Easter time in Scottish fish and chips shops. The idea was invented in a northeastern Scottish takeaway as a sequel to the extremely popular deep fried Mars Bar.

Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a day of great rejoicing and merry-making. It is celebrated in March-April between 22nd March and 25th April on the Sunday following the full moon. Easter ceremonies correspond to Passover, the Jewish festival. It symbolizes the ultimate victory of good over evil. Feasts are given, sweets exchanged and processions taken out on this occasion. Edible artificial and hard-boiled eggs are given on Easter as gifts.

There was a man named Joseph, a good righteous man. He went to the pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid. The women who had come with him followed, then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body, while they were perplexed about it, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel, and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, that the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful man, and be crucified, and on the third day rise."

Thus describes the Bible, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians pray and thank Christ, the saviour of whole humanity on the occasion.