When Do You Give Easter Eggs?

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes  

Easter Sunday is the traditional day to give Easter eggs in the UK. It marks the end of Lent and a time for celebrating new beginnings. But let's be real: plenty of families start handing them out from Good Friday onwards, and some don't even wait that long. There's no Easter egg police, so do what works for you. Browse our Easter Sweets collection to find treats for however you celebrate.  

Easter Sunday is the most popular day for swapping Easter eggs because it marks the end of Lent. During the medieval period, eggs were among the foods forbidden during the 40-day fast. So when Easter Sunday finally rolled around, cracking into an egg felt like a proper treat. That little moment of joy stuck, and the tradition has carried on for centuries.

Eggs have long stood for new life and rebirth, too. In Christianity, the egg represents the empty tomb of Jesus and His resurrection. That's why they're so closely tied to Easter Sunday. Even families who aren't particularly religious tend to keep Sunday as the big day. It's just what you do, isn't it?

The eggs we give today look a bit different from the decorated hen's eggs of centuries past, mind. Fry's produced the first English chocolate egg back in 1873, and Cadbury followed in 1875. Those early versions were dark chocolate with smooth, plain surfaces. Now? You've got everything from hollow milk chocolate eggs to ones packed with your favourite sweets and chocolate bars. We're not complaining.

It is absolutely fine to give Easter eggs before Easter Sunday. Loads of families do it. Some swap eggs on Good Friday, others on the Saturday, and quite a few start handing out smaller treats throughout Holy Week. But if you’re anything like us, you’re already nibbling on one on your way home from the shop.

Half the fun is the buildup, isn't it? Kids might get a small chocolate egg from school before the holidays.

Grandparents often drop off their gifts a few days early. And let's be honest: most of us have sneaked a Creme Egg or two well before the weekend arrives. No judgment here. The main thing is enjoying the occasion together, whether that's on a single day or spread over the whole break.

There's a practical side to spreading things out, too. The average child in the UK receives around eight or nine Easter eggs each year. That's a lot of chocolate for one sitting. Giving a couple before Sunday and saving the main egg for the morning can help manage the sugar rush and make the excitement last longer. Clever, really.

The tradition of giving eggs at Easter is rooted in ancient spring celebrations that go back thousands of years before Christianity. Eggs symbolised fertility and new life across many cultures. Early Christians in Mesopotamia dyed eggs during the Easter season, and the practice gradually spread across Eastern Europe and into the West.

One of the earliest recorded examples in England comes from 1290. King Edward I purchased 450 eggs to be decorated with colours or gold leaf and given out to his household. Four hundred and fifty! Then, in Lancashire from the 18th century onwards, decorated "pace eggs" became hugely popular. The name comes from "paschal," the Latin name for Easter. 

These were hard-boiled eggs with brightly dyed shells, given as gifts or used in egg-rolling races down hillsides. Some believe egg rolling symbolises the rolling away of the stone from Jesus's tomb, and the tradition still takes place in parts of England today.

The shift from real eggs to chocolate ones happened in the 19th century. After Fry's introduced the first English chocolate egg in 1873, the market grew quickly. Cadbury had 19 different lines on their Easter list by 1893. Then the launch of Cadbury's Dairy Milk in 1905 gave things another boost, and chocolate eggs have been central to British Easter celebrations ever since. Thank goodness for that.

Easter eggs are typically on supermarket and sweet shop shelves from early January. The main push begins around February and March, but retailers have gradually crept the start of the Easter season earlier and earlier. You'll often spot Creme Eggs and Mini Eggs before the Christmas decorations have even come down. 

Nobody's complaining about that either.

Buying early is a smart move if you're planning ahead. Popular items sell out quickly as the holiday approaches, and prices tend to be more competitive earlier in the season. The UK buys around 80 to 90 million Easter eggs each year, so demand is no joke. Getting in early means you'll have the widest selection and can dodge the last-minute scramble.

Here are a few key dates for your diary:

  Good Friday: 3rd April 2026    

Easter Sunday: 5th April 2026   

Easter Monday: 6th April 2026 

If you're planning an egg hunt or putting together Easter hampers, order your treats a couple of weeks in advance. That way, everything arrives in time, and you can focus on enjoying the long weekend.  

Whether you're stocking up for an egg hunt, putting together a hamper or just treating yourself to something chocolatey, sorting your Easter sweets early means less stress and more time enjoying the bank holiday. 

We've got everything from classic chocolate eggs to pick-and-mix bags and handmade hamper boxes. Something for every sweet tooth and every budget. Need help finding the right treats or want us to put together something bespoke? Drop us a message through our contact page, and we'll help you create the sweetest Easter yet.