Italiano
Funny how these two symbols, apparently so different, are the symbols of the Easter holidays.
Somewhere the former, somewhere the latter.
Somewhere both.
However… the egg arrived a long time ago.
Many ancient civilizations gave the egg a meaning of rebirth, often
associated with Spring.
The vegetation prospers, the sun shines, the flowers bloom.
And the chickens start laying eggs again (many of us don’t know this: in the wild, chickens don’t lay eggs in the winter months!).
And the custom of decorating, painting and giving them as a good omen was common (with a thousand variations, obviously) to all Mediterranean civilizations (as well as many populations of China and India).
Here, Christian Easter, whose roots lie in the customs of Jewish Easter, takes up much of these ancient traditions.
Both for the concept of Rebirth and because of the traditional celebrations for the arrival of Spring which coincide, not by chance, with the Easter period.
And what about the bunny then?
The rabbit was an animal sacred to the Goddess Ēostre, a Germanic deity about whom unfortunately little is known.
Goddess of Spring, Rebirth and above all, Fertility. And this is the reason why the rabbit is associated with her, symbol of fertility and liveliness.
The Goddess Ēostre, in some languages also “Ôstara”, or “Ēastre”.
At this point the assonance with the English term to indicate the Christian Festivity should be clear…
But when does chocolate come into the picture?
That, of course, in more recent times!
The first chocolate eggs are believed to have been produced in Turin, Italy, as early as the 18th century, by filling empty shells with liquid chocolate, then allowing it to cool.
Around the same time it is believed that the first “chocolate rabbits” were born in Germany. Some metal chocolate molds would confirm this.
Way too many legends, right?
In conclusion: like the famous paradox of the chicken and the egg, it is difficult to find the answer even for the egg and the rabbit.
You know what? Life’s already full of dilemmas.
My advice is: eat chocolate, enjoy Easter and… who cares!
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