Real day you’re supposed to eat your Easter eggs as many Brits tuck in too early

Easter is almost upon us, but it turns out many Brits don’t know when they’re actually supposed to eat their Easter eggs – and some have been tucking in too soon

Easter is almost upon us, and chocolate fans across the UK will be waiting eagerly to tuck into their stack of treats. There are many foods we use to celebrate the Easter holiday, including hot cross buns and a variety of confectionery. Some people even have traditional meals around this time, such as fish on Good Friday and roast lamb on Easter Sunday.

But for many, the signature food for the holiday is an Easter egg. These chocolate treats can be bought in supermarkets months before the big weekend, and millions of us will have already indulged in a Cadbury Creme Egg or two, with some tucking into the Easter treat as early as late January.

And if you surrendered to the temptation of polishing off an egg-shaped chocolate snack in the last couple of months, then we’ve got unfortunate news for you, as you’ve violated one of the unspoken customs of the Easter holiday.

When should we eat our Easter eggs?

Traditionally, Easter eggs are exchanged as presents on Easter Sunday among those who observe Christian customs around the holiday, as the egg is meant to represent the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

According to Hames Chocolates, many people opt to give up dairy products, eggs, or chocolate during Lent, which is a 40-day period of fasting observed by Christians, and so Easter marks the first occasion after Lent they can freely indulge in the treats that they have gone without.

Lent concludes on Maundy Thursday, which falls on the day before Good Friday, so some Christians will devour their Easter eggs between Thursday and Sunday to reward themselves for their 40-day abstinence.

However, as Easter eggs were traditionally distributed on Easter Sunday, the intention was to consume them on the same day – which means no peeling back that foil until Sunday.

Why do we eat Easter eggs?

According to English Heritage, eggs were traditionally given out as gifts during spring festivals to symbolise new life and rebirth, and it’s believed this ancient custom began part of Easter celebrations.

In the medieval period, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, so when Easter Sunday came around, tucking into an egg was a treat. Eggs were given to the church as Good Friday offerings, and villagers would give eggs as gifts to the lord of the manor at Easter, so the egg became a symbol of the Easter holiday.

There were even some superstitions around eggs at Easter. Eggs laid on Good Friday were said to turn into diamonds if they were kept for 100 years, while some people believed if you cracked an egg open and found two yolks, it was a sign you would become rich.

Chocolate Easter eggs made their debut in Europe during the 19th century, with France and Germany leading the way. In Britain, it was J.S Fry and Sons who created the first chocolate egg in 1873.

Cadbury followed suit, producing the modern Easter egg we know today just two years afterwards, in 1875.

These early eggs were made using dark chocolate, but in 1897, the famous Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate was introduced, and chocolate eggs made with this recipe became hugely popular.

These days, the day you choose to start tucking into your Easter eggs is up to you. Some religious people may choose to only eat them on Easter Sunday, or not to eat them at all, while others will enjoy them early.

No matter how you celebrate Easter, we hope you enjoy the holiday!