While people in the US and the UK may celebrate many of the same holidays throughout the year, there are often key differences between the two countries and one Brit has been left shocked after discovering that a long-held Easter tradition hasn’t caught on across the pond.
Posting to TikTok, Vinny Thomas – known by username @mrthomasenglish – highlighted to his more than 2.3 million followers the surprising difference in the selection of Easter treats available in supermarkets.
Brit reacts to the ‘shocking’ difference between US and UK Easter
“One thing that makes me laugh is in England, Easter is all about the Easter eggs,” Vinny says as he begins the video.
“I mean, you’re spoilt for choice. Look at all these eggs,” he says as he shows off the wall-to-wall selection in a British supermarket. “I mean, you got small ones, medium ones and large ones.”
“Whereas in America, I feel like it’s just a free-for-all all,” he continues as the focus switches to the US.
“You’ll have some random Easter-themed chocolate, a bunch of plastic eggs with random crap inside, Peeps – I’ve never even tried them – and basically just anything that looks Eastery,” he complains.
“The only thing that’s the same is the fact that the Lindt bunny reigns supreme,” he jokes as she shows off an impressive selection of chocolate bunnies. “Stunning.”
“They ain’t even got Kinder Eggs,” he adds. “They got Kinder Joy, that’s false advertising.”
“And then they just shove it in a bag and say, ‘Happy Easter, friend,’” he jokes in an exaggerated accent. “Or you know, do an egg hunt with their little basket.”
“Nah, take me home!” he says as the video ends.
Easter Aisles In England Versus America! #mrthomasenglish
Social media reacts
With more than 800,000 views, Vinny’s video has certainly attracted plenty of attention since it was posted and the comments are full of confused Brits and Americans who are curious about each other’s traditions.
“Plastic eggs? What goes in the plastic eggs?!” asked one confused Brit. To which an American commenter replied: “Random chocolates, jelly beans, and sometimes stickers/tattoos. At least for my family.”
Another Brit asked: “Why doesn’t the US have regular Kinder eggs?” The answer to this is that they’ve been banned by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) since 1997 due to the small toy inside being considered a choking hazard.
One wistful American commented: “I want to go to England now 😭”
Which was echoed by this TikTok user: “I kind of want to spend Easter in England now.”
An Australian commenter also chimed in, saying: “Same here in Australia, it’s all about the eggs.”
“You cannot beat a Cadbury’s Easter egg,” wrote another Brit. “The chocolate of an Easter egg is just the best thing ever.”
And finally, this UK commenter joked: “That’s why America is better at Halloween because we spend all our money at Easter.”
UK vs US Easter traditions
Despite the fact that the US and UK both celebrate Easter, each country has several traditions that seem quite alien to the other, particularly when it comes to chocolate.
While kids in the US may receive Easter baskets, filled with small chocolate eggs, pieces of candy and toys, people in the UK exchange large chocolate Easter eggs which are hollow and will either come with an extra chocolate bar or a packet of chocolate treats depending on the type of egg you’ve bought.
On top of that, a firm favorite in the UK around Easter time is the Cadbury Creme Egg, a small chocolate egg filled with a gooey fondant.
And when it comes to Easter being a ‘holiday,’ Good Friday and Easter Monday are public bank holidays in the UK, meaning Brits will get a four-day weekend, something which isn’t mirrored in the US.
But while there are differences, both countries do share a selection of Easter traditions, most notably decorating chicken eggs in bright colors to celebrate the arrival of spring and Easter egg hunts where kids will go searching for eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny.
