Easter – from a pagan tradition to a much-loved religious holiday

With Easter soon approaching, one of the most favourite celebrations of the year calls for everything chocolatey and spring related. The temperatures rise, and life wakes up from winter’s slumber. Meanwhile, shops’ and cafes’ windows get decorated with chocolate eggs and bunnies.

Easter is a religious holiday, though its roots come from the pagan tradition of celebrating the German goddess of spring Ostara, or an Anglo-Saxon version of her: Eostre.

According to mythology, Ostara has transformed a bird into a magical hare. Not only the bird-turned-hare became Ostara’s favourite pet, but it also knew how to lay colourful eggs for his mistress’ spring festival.

And chocolate manufacturers can increase profits thanks to the mythical Ostara, as we all get a fantastic selection of Easter confectionery

Young and old enjoy making and hunting for the beautiful Easter nests

Today, children worldwide enjoy Easter egg hunts and other fun games related to the celebration. Easter is a great time to get creative with children.

While it can take some practice making chocolate bunnies or eggs from scratch, there are several ways you can involve children in preparing something delicious for this unique celebration.

Making edible Easter nests is a perfect way to spend time with your kids

Edible Easter nests, made with just 3-4 ingredients, are a perfect project for little hands. The nests require no baking and look magnificent with colourful chocolate eggs.

Usually, cereals, like cornflakes, puffed rice or shredded wheat, get covered in melted chocolate and sometimes peanut butter. The disc-shaped nests are left in a fridge till they turn solid.

Now it’s time to prepare your own unique Ester nest

Try this recipe with vermicelli noodles for a more “realistic” look of the nest. It is also easy to make with children, yet the final result would look equally fantastic for a kids’ party and a more elaborate Easter-inspired afternoon tea gathering for grown-ups.

Ingredients:

• 50 g / ½ cup of rice vermicelli noodles
• 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
• 50 g / ¼ cup of your favourite chocolate

Method:

1. Place a pan with water over high heat and position a heatproof bowl over the pan, so the water doesn’t reach the bowl.
2. Break therice vermicelli noodles into smaller pieces to resemble the twigs of a nest.
3. Warm theneutral vegetable oil in a skillet and add the broken noodles.
4. Fry the noodles for a few minutes until they look glossy and get softer. Once ready, put the noodles on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
5. Break the chocolate into pieces and place it into the bowl over the pan to melt. (Dark, milk or even white chocolate will work fine for this recipe.) Stir the chocolate while it’s melting, but be careful not to scorch it; otherwise, it will become bitter and grainy.
6. Once the chocolate is melted, transfer the noodles into the bowl of chocolate for coating.
7. To create the nests, use a muffin tin. Wrap plastic over the outside of the muffin tin and then carefully cover the cups with the chocolate noodles, creating a nest shape.
8. Transfer the muffin tin to a refrigerator and cool for at least 30 minutes. You can keep the nests in a fridge for a week.

Decorate the nests with chocolate eggs or other Easter goods before serving.