Aside from the entertaining egg hunts, why do people celebrate Easter?
People from different cultures and countries have a different take on what Easter is all about. They also have different interpretations of its original meaning and their traditions on how to celebrate it.
Here are a few Easter facts from its Pagan and Christian history, and the practices people do to celebrate it, then until now.
Quick Facts:
- The term ‘Easter’ came from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.
- Some countries call it ‘Pascha’, which means ‘Passover’ in Hebrew.
- Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his Crucifixion.
- Passion Week, or more commonly known as Holy Week, happens before Easter.
- Easter is a movable holiday due to the Passover date’s dependency on the phases of the moon.
Essential Facts:
- While the majority of those who celebrate Easter are Christians, the holiday has pagan origins.
- Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
- In the United States only 12 states recognize Good Friday as an official holiday.
- Orthodox tradition bans the celebration of Easter on or before the Passover.
- In 1873 Fry’s of Bristol produced the first chocolate egg in the UK.
- Chocolate makes up 70% of all the confectionery purchased every Easter.
- Easter represents celebration, joy, and new life.
- In the 80s, Germany produced the first edible Easter bunnies made of sugar and pastry.
- People in the U.S. spend an average total of $14.7 billion on Easter celebrations. In England it’s £2 billion! Considering the size difference, that’s a huge amount of chocolate!
- During Easter mass attendance in churches doubles.
Interesting Facts:
- Over 28,000 or 59% of Americans eat the ears of the chocolate Easter bunny first. Not sure what we do in the UK, maybe, we should do our own survey… a job for the scouts perhaps?
- Easter ranks second to Halloween where we spend the most money on chocolate.
- The first versions of Easter baskets resembled bird’s nests.
- Egg farmers in the UK and America donate over 15 million eggs to food banks nationwide.
- Chocolate must be made all-year-round to meet the annual Easter Egg demand.
Easter Statistics:
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- More than 4 in 5 Brits (84%) plan to celebrate Easter in 2024, which is around 44.5 million people.
- 3 in 4 Brits (77%) plan to spend some money on the holiday.
- Brits are projected to spend over £2 billion on Easter 2024, with an average spend of £53 each.
- Around 80 million Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year.
- Residents in Northern Ireland are most likely to mark the Easter weekend, with an impressive 9 in 10 people (93%), planning to celebrate in some capacity. Spending an average of £78 each! This figure is perhaps not surprising given that around 80% of the population identifies as Christian.
- At the other end of the spectrum, 79% of residents in Wales are planning to celebrate, with the average spend a more economical £36.
So… better get saving then!
Source: https://www.finder.com/uk/banking/easter-spending-statistics
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