Easter – it is a word that holds different meanings to different people. To some, it is the most important event that has happened in history. It is the time when Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave and returned to His followers, giving hope of a life after death through His defeat of sin. To others, it means chocolate bunnies and Peeps and egg hunts.
While the commercialism of Easter is not quite as overdone as Christmas, Easter has its fair share of marketability. The numbers can be quite staggering actually, but all point to the overall religious, family-oriented feel of the holiday, and the world’s centuries-old celebrations rooted in deep tradition. According to Statistic Brain, all Easter-related items purchased annually total up to $14.6 billion. $2.1 billion of that is devoted to Easter candy, while the average consumer spends online about $225.43 online or $131.04 in stores.
As with most holidays, eating is a big portion of the celebrations. Out of all the food categories, however, sweets and candies are the most prominent. In 2015, 80 percent of the country celebrated Easter, and of that percentage, 85.7 percent spent more than $5 billion on food. Not included in that amount was the number spent on candy. During the Easter 2015 season, people consumed 1.5 billion Marshmallow Peeps and 16 billion jelly beans. While online shopping is more prolific than in-store shopping, in-store shopping still brought in about $140.62 per person that year. For a more light-hearted number, Statistic Brain reports 76 percent of Americans say the part of the chocolate bunny that should be eaten first is the ears. Every year since 1878, the White House has held its traditional Easter Egg Roll.
This year, it will be in its 139th year of running, featuring an opportunity for children to roll eggs down the South Lawn and enjoy live music and food, among other things. On average, 35,000 people attend this event. Other secular Easter traditions involve Easter egg hunts, featuring dyed Easter eggs that supposedly represent Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb; the decorating of Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny, a mythical gift-giving creature similar to Santa Claus.
If you are celebrating Easter this year, whether in a religious or secular way or both, make sure to spend time with friends and family and have lots of safe fun. Happy Easter!