10 Easter Facts For Kids

With Easter just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to round up 10 Easter facts for kids to help kickstart a conversation about the most important Christian holiday on the calendar.

10 Easter Facts For Kids

Even though Christmas gets the most attention, Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and so, it’s the season that should be most revered. Let’s break down ten things you didn’t know about this important Christian holiday, but with a fun spin for kids.

Easter is celebrated differently in more than 95 countries

It’s interesting to read how different countries celebrate Easter in their own unique way.

In Bermuda, they eat fish cakes, hot cross buns, and fly kites during the Easter weekend.
In Sweden and Finland, children dress up as Easter witches and go from house to house showing/giving their artwork in exchange for candy (sound familiar???).
In Hungary, there is a tradition where boys sprinkle perfume or water over girls’ heads. This takes place the Monday after Easter and is referred to as the “Sprinkling.”
In Greece, people throw pots and pans out of their houses on Holy Saturday and smash plates on the street. It symbolizes breaking with the old way and starting a new beginning.
If you visit Portugal, you will find the population celebrates by making or eating a sweet bread called Folar da Pascoa.
On Good Friday, all church bells stop for three days in France. This is to honor and mourn the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Fire, lights, and candles are a big part of the way those in Israel celebrate Easter.

Every country has its own traditions, and isn’t it great? Learning more about other cultures will help your kids understand the world around them.

The Meaning Behind Easter’s Symbols

Do you know where the name Easter comes from? It’s actually derived from the Pre-Christian goddess of spring and renewal, Eostre. Her symbols were a hare and an egg.

But the tradition of painting eggs has nothing to do with the spring goddess and everything to do with Jesus. People used to paint all eggs the color red which symbolized His death and resurrection. Nowadays, you will find Easter eggs colored in a variety of shades and hues – beyond red – but the tradition is still the same.

Other symbols of Easter?

Rabbits are known to give birth to huge litters and so, they became the traditional symbol of new life. The Easter Bunny hiding eggs also represents new life.
Lamb is a traditional Easter food and you will find most families tend to serve this dish for dinner. Jesus is known as the “Lamb of God.”
White Easter Lilies are often displayed during this season in homes and all-around churches. They are linked to the purity of Christ.

The White House Annual Easter Egg Roll Origin

The first annual White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to April 22, 1878, and is a tradition that many kids look forward to around Washington DC. Prior to April, the tradition actually took place at Capitol Hill!

However, the government realized that the egg rolling was actually damaging the Capitol Hill grounds and so, President Rutherford B. Hayes eventually moved the location permanently and allowed children to come to the White House to roll their Easter eggs on the President’s grounds instead.

Fun Facts About Chocolate

For this section, I thought it would be fun to tell you some interesting facts about Easter chocolate. A lot of kids really look forward to chocolate Easter bunnies and Cadbury eggs. Here’s what we know:

Over 500 million Cadbury’s Crème eggs are made in a year.
Over 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced every year.
89% of all Easter goodies that are found in children’s basket is… chocolate
Australians are the number one consumers of chocolate Easter eggs in the world.

The Amount Of Candy Sold During Easter Compared To Halloween

Candy sales during Halloween and Easter are usually through the roof. So, it’s no wonder people love to compare the two tallies.

So, when do children really eat the most candy? Is it during Halloween or Easter? The truth is that Halloween beats out Easter in sales by a long shot.

Each year, there are 90 million chocolate bunnies, 91.4 billion eggs, and 700 million Peeps made in the USA alone. Approximately 600 million pounds of candy are sold in the U.S. each year for Halloween. Yeow!

The most expensive chocolate Easter egg cost $10,000

Do you have $10,000 on hand because that is what it would cost you to snag the Golden Speckled Egg – the most expensive chocolate Easter egg ever sold? It was actually auctioned off in London in 2012.

It wasn’t that expensive because it was decorated with pricey jewelry. No, it was a plain chocolate egg. To be fair, though, it was pretty big – weighing it at over 110 lbs.

It took the creators about three days to complete this luxurious dessert and it was well worth the effort! Made with Amadei chocolate, the egg was filled with high-quality chocolate and truffles and decorated with chocolate bars, smaller chocolate eggs, and flowers.

Most Americans eat chocolate bunnies starting from the ears

Did you know that the first Easter Bunny was dated back to the 1700s? According to research, the Easter bunny made his way to America thanks to German immigrants who decided to settle in Pennsylvania. Hiding eggs and their tradition was known as “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.”

Over the years, the Easter Bunny has turned into the chocolate bunny and children love to take a bite out of their special treat. According to online research, most people like to eat the bunny ears first – over 59% of participants asked. By the way, if you eat the feet first, you are joined by just 4% of participants who agree with you.

Making just one Marshmallow Peep used to take 27 hours

We take peeps for granted. There, I said it. This was one of the most interesting Easter facts for kids that I came across because never did I think it would take that long to make one of these desserts!

In 1953, there was only one kind of peep and it came in the chick form. It was created by the Rodda Candy Company and everything was done by HAND. It would take someone 27 hours to make just ONE because the makers had to wait for the marshmallows to cool down.

Luckily for all Easter lovers, Just Born purchased the company and automatized the process. Now every six minutes, a new Peep package is finished and no one has to wait to get their hands on their favorite sweets.

Jellybeans are one of the most popular Easter candies because of their shape

There are 16 billion jelly beans manufactured solely for Easter. That means that production continues beyond this season. Can you imagine!? So, why the jelly bean and WHY for Easter?

It’s because jelly beans have a shape that reminds people of eggs. They also make a really great filler for all those plastic eggs.

People used to believe wearing new clothes on Easter brought luck

I love to look into superstitions and this one was pretty interesting to read. For quite some time, people believed that if you wore new clothes on Easter, it would bring you good luck for the rest of the year.

There are even some references to this tradition from the Tudor times. There are stories of people thinking that if they didn’t wear their “Sunday Best” to celebrate then moths would come and eat their old clothes. They also thought they would find thousands of rooks nested around their homes. Yikes!

It’s a good excuse for going shopping, right? Need to update your wardrobe? Do it on Easter and tell people that you are just looking for some good luck for the rest of the year. 🙂