Chocolate candy sales near peak at Easter

This Easter, as in Easters past, everything's coming up chocolate.

Have you ever wondered why?

The answer has more to do with ancient rites (the rabbit and the egg are symbols of spring and fertility) and modern appetites than with Christian theology.

According to Barrett P. Brenton, associate professor of anthropology at St. John's University in New York City, edible Easter bunnies, in the form of sweet cakes and pastries, were commonplace in Germany by the 19th century.

"The popularity of the chocolate Easter bunny in America can really be related to the rapid growth of the candy-making industry in post-Civil War America," said Brenton, who added that Easter treats grew to be especially loved by children as rewards at the end of Lent.

These days, Benton said, Easter candy sales are second only to those at Halloween.