Easter Traditions For Family Occasions

Easter's almost here! 

This springtime celebration holds a special place in many of our hearts. Filled with happy memories and rooted in tradition, it's a time for reflection, churchgoing for many, and joyful family gatherings.

And what do these lovely family gatherings involve? Eating of course! Easter wouldn't be Easter without the feast!

But have you ever wondered where some of our traditions and delicious Easter treats come from? 

Read on to find out!

Let's start with the most iconic, the Hot Cross Bun:

Sweet, sticky, slightly spiced and marked with a white cross, this bun is traditionally eaten on Good Friday (but enjoyed throughout the year here in the UK!) in order to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. Legend has it that this Christian tradition started in St Albans around the 14th century, when a monk at the abbey made buns similar to our modern-day ones, marked them with crosses and distributed them to the poor on Good Friday. 

Enjoyed around the world but particularly here in the UK, we adore them and can enjoy them at any time of the day!

Easter Eggs:

Easter and chocolate - naturally! Long before the chocolate egg, people across the world decorated real eggs - the egg being a pagan symbol of rebirth and new life. These eggs would then be given to others as tokens of good fortune. Early Christians used the egg to symbolise parts of the Easter story. In medieval times, Christians would enjoy gifting and eating hard boiled eggs after strict fasting rules during Lent.

In 19th century chocolate makers in France and Germany started crafting eggs from cocoa and by the early 20th century the chocolate Easter Egg had become popular in Britain, the first hollow chocolate egg being made by Fry's in 1873. Cadbury's followed suit with their own eggs in 1875.

The Easter Egg Hunt:

It's not just kids who enjoy the egg hunt!

The egg hunt can be traced back to Early Christian missionaries who hid Easter eggs, painted with biblical scenes, for children to find, to teach them the Easter story. The modern egg hunt stems from Martin Luther one of the leaders of the Protestant reformation. Back then, men hid eggs for women and children to find, and their joy was likened to the joy expressed by Jesus' followers after they'd heard the news of His resurrection. Of course, they weren't chocolate egg hunts - that came much later after Frys and Cadbury's started using these hunts to promote their products in the mid 20th century.

The Easter Bunny:

Ever wondered why we tell kids the Easter Bunny's coming?!

It's a combination of Paganism and Christianity. One theory is that it stems from the ancient Pagan tradition of honouring the goddess of fertility and spring, Eostre. Her symbol was the rabbit. For Christians, the egg represents Jesus' resurrection and his emergence from the tomb.

Simnel Cake:

For some of us, this cake is synonymous with Easter. Love it or hate it, the Simnel cake is steeped in tradition. A light fruit cake, topped and decorated with marzipan balls to represent Jesus' apostles, it can look quite magnificent! This cake is thought to have originated from medieval times when it was made for Mothering Sunday, its appearance evolving over time.  This special day came halfway through the Lent fasting and so the cake was a very welcome treat.

Roast Lamb:

Many of us enjoy roast lamb over the Easter weekend.

Lamb has religious significance for both Jew and Christians.

For Jews, Easter was a feast, which included sacrificing a lamb, to celebrate their freedom from slavery in Egypt and now lamb is eaten during Passover celebrations.

For Christians, the lamb is associated with Jesus Christ who is referred to as the 'Lamb of God' and Christians remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for the sins of Christians at this time.

We love Easter for so many reasons. It's a happy holiday that combines secular traditions, religious observance and tasty Easter food.

 Let us help you celebrate it!

We have a wide range of luxury hampers beautifully packed and presented, ideal for sending to friends and family at Easter or for treating yourselves?!

If you're looking for Easter gifts online for the family, for her, for him or for students, look no further!

We have Easter chocolate gifts and Easter food hampers; each carefully curated, bringing together Britain's finest artisan treats.

Our Easter baskets are available for delivery to UK and worldwide. UK next day delivery available.

 A few suggestions for you:

Easter Chocolate Hamper:

An indulgent collection of chocolate from Britain's talented artisan creators. There's something for everyone in this dreamy Easter basket. Dark, milk and white Bean to Bar chocolate from Devon, Chocolate Honeycomb Rocks from Cornwall and much more. The perfect Easter chocolate box!

 The Prosecco and Chocolate Gift Box:

A wonderful combination of award-winning Italian Ruggeri Prosecco with sea salt caramel chocolates. Beautifully presented in our British hamper Company gift box and delivered with your personal message, this an exciting, celebratory yet thoughtful Easter gift.

Gourmet Traditional British Food Hamper:

An Easter feast awaits you in this generous food hamper! A brilliant selection of sweet and savoury treats from our skilled and passionate British artisans. From caramel sea salt fudge to all butter cheddar biscuits to spicy mixed nuts and much more, this hamper is perfect for families celebrating at Easter.

 Luxury Gluten Free and Vegan Treats Hamper:

Here at the British Hamper Company, we firmly believe no one should miss out on delicious treats, especially at celebratory occasions like Easter. This beautiful, thoughtful, hamper contains such treats as Oat and Raisin Cookies, Bean to Bar dark chocolate and more. A lovely Easter gift for vegans and for those avoiding gluten.

The Weekend at Home Hamper:

Everything you need for Easter celebrations! This luxury hamper is packed with gourmet snacks such as hand-cooked crisps, buttery shortbread and organic cheddar, together with fine red and white wines from Portugal. 

All our Easter hamper boxes are carefully packed and beautifully presented in either one of our attractive, keepsake gift boxes or in traditional wicker baskets and delivered with your personalised message.

 Happy Easter to you all!