A Sweet Celebration of the Exodus: Our Red Sea Candy Display for Easter

The week leading up to Easter holds so much beauty, reflection, and anticipation in our home—but it’s also full of hands-on creativity, especially for the kids. One of our favorite traditions (and remains, even as my kids grow) is setting up a Red Sea Candy Display inspired by the ten plagues in the book of Exodus. It’s one of those “chaotic but holy” moments that sticks in the minds (and hearts) of our kids. And let’s be honest—it’s also really fun and a little bit silly.

Each candy on the table represents one of the ten plagues God sent upon Egypt, as told in Exodus. We line them up in order across the table, with the Red Sea parted down the middle using plastic table cloths as the sea. The kids help place little Lego Friends or figurines in the center—Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites—walking through on dry ground. It becomes a whole scene that helps them not only see the story but remember it.

Some candy choices are pretty spot-on. Others are a bit of a stretch. But that’s part of the fun! It sparks laughter, questions, storytelling, and teaching moments that stick. And yes—it also provides plenty of nibbling throughout Easter weekend, especially when we rewatch The Prince of Egypt together as a family.

Here’s our candy line-up for the Ten Plagues:

  • Water Turned to Blood – Fruit by the Foot or red licorice

  • Frogs – Gummy frogs

  • Lice or Gnats – White Tic Tacs or Jelly Beans

  • Flies – Raisinets (they look a little like buzzing bugs!)

  • Diseased Livestock – Gummy horses or animal crackers

  • Boils – Red Hot candies or Red Sour Balls

  • Hail – Cookies & Cream chocolate or White Pop Rocks

  • Locusts – Swedish Fish (okay…not exactly locusts, but close enough in kid-imagination)

  • Darkness – Black licorice

  • Death of the Firstborn – Sour Patch Kids (symbolic and sobering—always a teaching moment)

It’s amazing how something so simple can open the door to deeper conversations.

Why This Matters: Connecting the Exodus to Easter

The Exodus story isn’t just an Old Testament history lesson—it’s a foreshadowing of the greatest redemption story ever told. As we lay out candies and talk about Moses and Pharaoh, we always make space for this question: How does this story connect to Jesus?

Here’s how we explain it to our kids (and to ourselves, over and over again):

  • Passover Points to Jesus: At the climax of the plagues, God instructed the Israelites to mark their doorposts with the blood of a lamb so the Angel of Death would pass over their homes. This moment is commemorated in the Jewish Passover. Jesus’ crucifixion took place during Passover, and Scripture refers to Him as the Lamb of God.Just as the lamb’s blood saved the Israelites from death, Jesus’ sacrifice offers us eternal life.

  • From Slavery to Freedom: The Exodus is a rescue mission—God delivering His people from slavery and leading them toward the Promised Land. Jesus’ death and resurrection is the ultimate liberation. Through Him, we are set free from sin and death and offered new life.

  • A New Covenant: At Mount Sinai, God gave the Ten Commandments and entered into covenant with Israel. Through Jesus, a new and better covenant was established—one of grace, forgiveness, and personal relationship with God, sealed by the resurrection.

A Tradition That Sticks

We’ll never pretend that candy can fully capture the weight of the Exodus story or the depth of Easter. But these traditions—especially when done with laughter, learning, and lots of heart—help plant seeds of truth in our children’s hearts. They make the sacred tangible. They invite wonder, conversation, and joy.

And really, that’s what hospitality is all about: inviting others (even our own children) into something meaningful through the ordinary things—like snacks, stories, and sticky fingers.

If you’re looking for a new tradition to try next Easter, give the Red Sea Candy Display a shot. Let it be fun. Let it be messy. Let it be holy.

ERIN CLARKComment