You May Have Missed People Golden Years Teens More Topics . . . Those of us with a more secular turn of mind may be concentrating more on the ovos de Pascoa . And the Internet is full of tempting goodies on sale in the traditional Cestas or baskets. Mediaeval tradition laid down that red meat, sweets and eggs should all be given up for Lent, hence the celebration of eggs at Easter.
Eggs too are a symbol of new birth and fertility.
A lovely site with a background of chocolate squares is Pascoa no Mundo which gives short descriptions of Easter traditions and festivals or related festivals all round the world. A most interesting article, however, is one on the Easter Eggs from the Ukraine. The 2000 year old tradition of intricately hand-painted eggs is still lovingly handed down from family to family and thrives not only in the Eastern block but also in areas of Brazil where settlers from the Ukraine have made their home. The eggs carry traditional symbols meant to bring good luck. So complex are the designs that it can take a whole day to paint one small egg.