easter in uk-凯发k8官网

if you visit a supermarket in the uk in march or april, you will notice a curious（好奇的，古怪的） thing: shelf after shelf is filled with large, brightly-coloured eggs.

look a little closer and you will discover something else. these eggs are't real eggs. they are, in fact, made of chocolate. and that can mean only one thing - it's easter time again.

easter is a festival that has been ¹ in britain for thousands of years. these days we mark the occasion by giving each other chocolate eggs, or easter eggs. but what are the roots of this traditional event?

for ² people easter is ³ a religious festival（宗教节日） . according to the bible, jesus christ was killed by the romans but came back to life three days later. that is why easter is seen as a time of rebirth and regeneration（再生，重生） .

however, some people suggest that easter has its origins in pre-christian, or pagan（异教徒） times. they claim that the very earliest societies celebrated the end of winter and the beginning of spring - the time when life returns to the land, when crops grow and animals breed again.

whatever its origins, easter is big business. the uk's biggest ⁴（零售商） of easter eggs sold more than 20 million units last year whilst some luxury（奢侈的） easter eggs can cost more than £20!