19 Fun Facts About Easter You Probably Didn't Realize

As a celebration that includes chocolate and bunnies, Easter is at the top of my favorite holiday list. I'm sure even Mr. Hefner would have to agree it's among the best holidays.

Then again, he is surrounded by bunnies ALL YEAR round — that lucky bastard.

Did you know these 19 facts about the Christian holiday turned commercial powerhouse?

1. The tallest Easter egg chocolate was made in Italy in 2011. It stood at 10.39 meters and weighed an astounding 7,200 kg.

2. In the US, only 12 of the 50 states recognize Good Friday as a holiday.

3. The art of painting eggs is called pysanka, which originated in Ukraine. It involves using wax and dyes to color the egg.

4. The term Easter gets its name from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes the hare and the egg.

5. The exchange or giving of Easter eggs actually dates back to before Easter and the giving of eggs is actually considered a symbol of rebirth in many cultures.

6. There used to be a tradition churches observed that resembled the game of "hot potato." Here, the priest would toss a hard boiled egg to one of the choir boys.

The boys would toss the egg amongst themselves and when the clock struck 12, whomever had the egg was the winner and got to keep the egg.

7. Peep peep… did you know Americans buy more than 700 million marshmallow Peeps during Easter? This makes Peeps the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.

8. Americans consume more than 16 million jelly beans during this holiday. That is enough jelly beans to circle the globe not once, not twice, but three times.

9. Are you an ears, arms or tail person? Seventy-six percent of people eat the ears on the chocolate bunny first, 5 percent go for the feet and 4 percent for the tail.

10. During the holiday, more than 90 million chocolate bunnies, 91.4 billion eggs and 700 million Peeps are produced each year in the United States alone.

11. Next to Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy-consuming holiday of the year. Good thing they are almost six months apart, perfect for your yearly dentist check-ups!

12. An estimated $14.7 billion is spent in total for Easter in the US.

13. The Easter egg is said to symbolize and represent joy, celebration and new life.

14. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ; it is the oldest Christian holiday and one of the most important days of the year.

15. Half the states in the United States banned the dyeing of chicks on Easter; however, Florida recently overturned this law and now prevents the dyeing of all animals.

16. Not only did Florida overturn the dyeing of animals, but the state also held the largest Easter egg hunt, where 9,753 children searched for 501,000 eggs.

17. The White House of tradition of the Easter Egg Roll started back in 1878, with President Rutherford B. Hayes!

18. Workers in Birmingham, who make the famous Cadbury Creme Egg, produce more than 1.5 million egg delights a year.

19. The idea of the Easter bunny giving candies and eggs is said to have originated in Germany during the middle ages.

No matter how old you are or where you are in the world, Easter is a fun family tradition that never gets old.

From the Easter egg hunts to the taking your first bite into that chocolate bunny, it is not only a special religious holiday that marks an end to Lent, but one that represents the resurrection of Christ, too.

For those who aren't so religious, Easter marks a long weekend, filled with fun.