Along with its celebration as a Christian holiday, Easter has become very commercialized. Easter bunnies, Easter egg hunts, chocolate Easter eggs and other assorted sweet treats are all part of the commercial aspect of Easter. The chocolate Easter egg in particular is something that many children as well as adults look forward to indulging in around Eastertime. The chocolate Easter egg is delicious to many people, but the history behind it is not solely commercial.

History of Easter
Easter is a holiday celebrated all over the world by many different cultures and religions. However, Easter was originally celebrated by Christians because that was the day that Christians believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead. According to Christiananswers.net, the word "Easter" was derived from the Teutonic goddess of spring. Some people believe that Easter originated because of the pagan rites of spring.

Origin of the Easter Egg
According to theholidayspot.com, in Christian times, the egg was a symbol of new life. With the Christian origin of Easter being that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and was living again, the Easter egg came to symbolize Easter. However, according to history.com, colored Easter eggs might also have derived from pagan belief as a representation of the sun because of the spring equinox.

Origin of Chocolate Easter Eggs
Chocolate Easter eggs date back to Europe in the 19th century according to hotelchocolate.com. There was a tradition of giving chocolate eggs as gifts. The first chocolate eggs were not the sweet milk chocolate that many people know today; they were small and made with a very bitter dark chocolate. This chocolate egg tradition quickly spread throughout Europe, and is now a tradition all over the world.

Variations
There are many variations of a chocolate Easter egg. Some are sweet and creamy, while others are bitter. There are small bite-size eggs, and rather large chocolate eggs. According to encyclopedia.com, the largest chocolate Easter egg weighs 4299 pounds and is 27 feet, 3 inches tall. Some chocolate eggs are hollow, while others are filled with a cream or other sweet filling.

Popularity Today
Chocolate Easter eggs are an extremely popular Easter candy. Children all over the world wake up on Easter morning to find a chocolate Easter egg waiting for them. With their history, taste and variety it is no wonder they have such a following. Almost every year there is a candy company coming out with a new version of the chocolate egg.