21 fun facts about Easter that might surprise you
Gabbi Shaw
- Easter is on Sunday, April 4, this year. It's one of the holiest days in Christianity.
- WalletHub compiled a list of fun facts about how the world will celebrate in 2021.
- While we're using our laptops to Zoom with our families or to stream Easter Mass, we can still dye our Easter eggs and munch on chocolate bunnies.
In total, an estimated $21.6 billion will be spent on Easter-related things in 2021.
It's one of the most important days in Christianity.
$3.6 billion will be spent spent on clothes - though this year we might all be rocking sweats.
People traditionally wear pastel or floral clothing for Easter, since it's a signifier that spring is truly here.
$6.3 billion will be spent on food.
The traditional foods of Easter include eggs (of course), ham, sweet bread, lamb, and chocolate.
$3 billion alone will go towards chocolate.
A holiday that celebrates chowing down on chocolate and candy is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
And $3.7 billion will be spent on gifts.
Children in the US traditionally receive Easter baskets from their parents or other adult relatives. According to WalletHub, 66% of parents make their children Easter baskets, and 92% of those include chocolate or candy.
Even if you've left home, fear not - 60% of parents are planning on sending their kids Easter baskets, even if they've moved out.
The most popular items in these Easter baskets are: chocolate bunnies (58%), individually wrapped candy (48%), arts and crafts (40%), and loose, chewy candy (40%).
To put that into perspective, the average person who celebrates Easter spends $180 on the holiday.
Between chocolate, food, Easter baskets, and clothing, the expenses can rack up.
Back to the fun stuff: chocolate. As many as 91 million chocolate bunnies are sold in the US for Easter annually.
There are plenty of different bunnies to choose from, like this "Benedict Cumberbunny" or this DIY chocolate bunny from Ikea.
And 16 billion jellybeans are eaten - enough to circle the world three times.
It's no shock that 90% of parents are planning to have a discussion with their children about enjoying candy in moderation, according to WalletHub.
Kids aren't the only ones who get to enjoy it - 81% of parents steal candy from their children's loot.
Maybe Jimmy Kimmel should use that for his next candy-related prank.
As many as 78% of Americans eat the ears of their chocolate bunny first.
Interestingly enough, 11% go for the feet first, and 11% go for the tail, WalletHub reported.
And 50% prefer their chocolate eggs to be filled with caramel, peanut butter, or chocolate ganache, as opposed to them being hollow or solid chocolate.
According to the survey, 33% prefer solid chocolate and 17% like a hollow chocolate egg.
We celebrate with Easter eggs because, much like the holiday itself, eggs are associated with new life and rebirth.
The weight of the largest chocolate egg in history was only 665 pounds lighter than the average male African elephant.
To clarify, this egg pictured "only" weighed 440 pounds. The real largest egg weighed an immense 15,873 pounds — and the average male African elephant is 16,538 pounds.
The largest chocolate bunny weighed 9,360 pounds.
The largest rabbit made of chocolate was created in Brazil by the Equipe da Casa do Chocolate. It took nine professionals eight days straight to construct it.
The most expensive chocolate bunny was worth $49,000 and will set you back 548,000 calories.
Why so expensive? Because of its two 1.07-carat solitaire diamonds for eyes.
Over 1.5 billion Peeps in 23 flavors are consumed every Easter, and 5.5 million are produced each day.
Peeps, chick-shaped marshmallows, have been an Easter favorite for seven decades.
An Insider reporter recently pitted 16 of the flavors against each other.
A staggering 180 million eggs are purchased for Easter every year.
And as many as 52.4% of Americans think the Easter bunny came before the egg.
And 10 million dyeing kits are also bought.
Insider rounded up the best Easter egg decorating kits to make your life a little bit easier.
The White House Easter Egg Roll normally attracts 30,000 people. Sadly, it's been canceled the last two years.
The first White House Easter Egg Roll was held in 1878 under President Rutherford B. Hayes. It's been canceled before, like in 1918 due to food shortages.
There were over 501,000 eggs hidden in the world's largest Easter egg hunt in Winter Haven, Florida.
This famed hunt took place in 2007.
Easter is the most popular church day of the year, but this year many people will turn to virtual services.
Christmas Eve and Mother's Day are the other big two, according to WalletHub.
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