Since its origins, Easter has been a time of celebration, feasting and traditional Easter games and customs such as egg rolling and egg decorating.
Today Easter is commercially important, seeing wide sales of greeting cards and confectionery such as chocolate Easter eggs, marshmallows, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. Even many non-Christians celebrate these aspects of the holiday while eschewing the religious aspects.
Throughout the English-speaking world, many Easter traditions are similar with only minor differences. For example, Saturday is traditionally spent decorating Easter eggs and hunting for them with children on Sunday morning, by which time they have been mysteriously hidden all over the house and garden (by the Easter bunny of course). Other traditions involve parents telling their children that eggs and other treats such as chocolate eggs or rabbits, have been delivered by the Easter Bunny in an Easter basket, which children find waiting for them when they wake up.
Easter breads such as Simnel cake, a fruit cake with eleven marzipan balls representing the eleven faithful apostles, or nut breads such as potica are traditionally served. Hot cross buns, spiced buns with a cross on top, are traditionally associated with Good Friday, but today are often eaten well before and after.
In Scotland, the north of England, and Northern Ireland, the traditions of rolling decorated eggs down steep hills and pace egging are still adhered to today.
Whatever your Easter celebration, event or promotion, don’t forget to advertise it in your Local Link Directories at this special time of year which is delivered to 16,000 homes in Gloucester.
