What is the meaning of Easter & why should you swap to Fairtrade Chocolate this Easter

Many people are wondering what Easter actually means, as the true meaning of Easter has been lost. Some say the word Easter is derived from Eostre (also known as Ostara), an ancient Anglo-Saxon Goddess. She symbolized the rebirth of the day at dawn and the rebirth of life in the spring. The arrival of spring was celebrated all over the world long before the religious meaning became associated with Easter.

Easter Egg Tradition

Eggs have been associated with the Christian festival of Easter, which celebrates the death and resurrection of Christ, since the early days of the church. However, Christian customs connected with Easter eggs are to some extent adaptations of ancient pagan practices related to spring rites.
The egg has long been a symbol of ‘fertility’, ‘rebirth’ and ‘the beginning’. In Egyptian mythology, the phoenix burns its nest to be reborn later from the egg that is left; Hindu scriptures relate that the world developed from an egg.
With the rise of Christianity in Western Europe, the church adapted many pagan customs and the egg, as a symbol of new life, came to represent the Resurrection. Some Christians regarded the egg as a symbol for the stone being rolled from the sepulchre.

Eggs as an Easter Gift

The earliest Easter eggs were hen or duck eggs decorated at home in bright colours with vegetable dye and charcoal. Orthodox Christians and many cultures continue to dye Easter eggs, often decorating them with flowers.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the manufacture of egg-shaped toys, which were given to children at Easter. The Victorians had cardboard, ‘plush’ and satin covered eggs filled with Easter gifts and chocolates. The ultimate egg-shaped Easter gifts must have been the fabulous jewelled creations of Carl Fabergé made during the 19th century for the Russian Czar and Czarina, now precious museum pieces.

Chocolate Easter eggs were first made in Europe in the early 19th century, with France and Germany taking the lead in this new artistic confectionery. Some early eggs were solid, as the technique for mass-producing moulded chocolate had not been devised. The production of the first hollow chocolate eggs must have been painstaking, as the moulds were lined with paste chocolate one at a time.

Why you should switch to Fairtrade chocolate this Easter

You’re powerful as a consumer – what you choose to buy shapes the world we live in and can literally change someone’s life for the better. Fair Trade doesn’t just guarantee a farmer gets paid properly for their hard work. It can also build schools, medical centres and water pumps – helping people lift themselves out of poverty.
Chocolate. It’s a global obsession — and it’s big business. Western African countries, mostly Ghana and the Ivory Coast, supply more than 70% of the world’s cocoa. But the giant food industry can often be unjust in developing countries. As a result, farmers are not paid a living wage for their hard work.

As a consumer, you play an essential role. Fair Trade guarantees a minimum set wage and improves standards of living through community healthcare, education, training and assistance with business matters.

So when you are selecting your yummy chocolate treats for your loved ones this Easter, use your buying power and buy Fairtrade (& Organic if possible!!)
Check out all the lovely Fairtrade Easter goodies that Oxfam has to offer here http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/?utm_source=OA&utm_medium=shoppage-nav&utm_campaign=OA-Nav