April 2026 (taken from The Link Magazine)

Dear All,

I have a confession to make. I absolutely love Cadbury’s Mini eggs.

I don’t (mercifully) have a sweet tooth (if there is a choice between a smoked bacon sandwich and a cream cake, it’s the bacon every time) but come Easter, despite my diabetes and weight watching, I’ll be snaffling some. Years ago, in my church in Newbury where I was Vicar, I used to stand at the church door on Easter Day giving mini eggs away (& grazing on them), and used to buy supplies long beforehand, Alas, temptation would always get the better of me & inevitably I’d have to get emergency top -up supplies. In desperation, I eventually would buy them and give them to my trusty Lay Reader Elizabeth, for safekeeping.

If you ask in a school assembly or service what children love about Easter, the answer is inevitably - chocolate Easter eggs. They are a central feature of our Paschal celebration.

But why?

Eggs are actually an ancient part of Eastertide. On one level, hatching eggs and chicks are a powerful symbol of rebirth, new life and hope, so pointing to the Resurrection of Jesus; they also represent the tomb from which he rose from the dead. On another level, dairy products – including eggs – were not allowed during Lent because of the custom of fasting, so once Easter had come eggs were special, were blessed and could be eaten again.

In the Middle East , in ancient times, eggs were painted red to remember the blood Jesus shed and in central Europe, notably in Ukraine, a tradition grew up of decorating egs in bright colours and intricate patterns.

Egg rolling is another thing (I have learnt over the years that cream eggs especially good for this) found all over Europe, where a popular variant apparently is “Egg tapping”, a sort of playing conkers with coloured, hard boiled eggs where the winner is the one whose egg is the last to remain in tact

All this seems pretty distant from that first Easter Day when Mary Magdalene encountered the Risen Christ at the empty tomb. But there should be joy and excitement and participation by all in Eastertide, and eggs are a start!!

After the rigours of Lent, I pray that Easter joy will fill our hearts with the knowledge and love of the Risen Christ.

Happy Easter, All!

Love Fr. John