Easter egg

Easter eggs, also calledPaschal eggs,areeggsthat aredecoratedfor the Christian holiday ofEaster, which celebrates theresurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season ofEastertide(Easter season). The oldest tradition, which continues to be used inCentralandEastern Europe, is to dye and paint chicken eggs.
Although eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth,inChristianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, Easter eggs symbolize theempty tombofJesus, from which Jesus wasresurrected.In addition, one ancient tradition was the staining of Easter eggs with the colour red "in memory of theblood of Christ, shed as at that time of his crucifixion."
This custom of the Easter egg, according to many sources, can be traced toearly ChristiansofMesopotamia, and from there it spread into Eastern Europe and Siberia through the Orthodox Churches, and later into Europe through the Catholic and Protestant Churches.Additionally, the widespread usage of Easter eggs, according to mediaevalist scholars, is due to the prohibition of eggs duringLentafter which, on Easter, they are blessed for the occasion.
A modern custom in some places is to substitute chocolate eggs wrapped in colouredfoil, hand-carved wooden eggs, or plastic eggs filled withconfectionerysuch aschocolate.
The practice ofdecorating eggshellsis quite ancient,with decorated, engravedostrich eggsfound in Africa which are 60,000 years old.In thepre-dynastic periodofEgyptand the early cultures ofMesopotamiaandCrete, eggs were associated with death and rebirth, as well as with kingship, with decorated ostrich eggs, and representations of ostrich eggs in gold and silver, were commonly placed in graves of the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians as early as 5,000 years ago.These cultural relationships may have influenced early Christian and Islamic cultures in those areas, as well as through mercantile, religious, and political links from those areas around the Mediterranean.
Eggs inChristianitycarry aTrinitariansymbolism as shell, yolk, and albumen are three parts of one egg.According to many sources, the Christian custom of Easter eggs started among theearly ChristiansofMesopotamia, who stained them with red colouring "in memory of the blood of Christ, shed at Hiscrucifixion".TheChristian Churchofficially adopted the custom, regarding the eggs as a symbol of theresurrection of Jesus, with theRoman Ritual, the first edition of which was published in 1610 but which has texts of much older date, containing among the Easter Blessings of Food, one for eggs, along with those for lamb, bread, and new produce.
Sociology professor Kenneth Thompson discusses the spread of the Easter egg throughoutChristendom, writing that "use of eggs at Easter seems to have come from Persia into the Greek Christian Churches of Mesopotamia, thence to Russia and Siberia through the medium of Orthodox Christianity. From the Greek Church the custom was adopted by either the Roman Catholics or the Protestants and then spread through Europe."Both Thompson, as well as British orientalistThomas Hydestate that in addition to dyeing the eggs red, the early Christians of Mesopotamia also stained Easter eggs green and yellow.
Peter Gainsford maintains that the association between eggs and Easter most likely arose in western Europe during the Middle Ages as a result of the fact that Catholic Christians were prohibited from eating eggs during Lent, but were allowed to eat them when Easter arrived.
Influential 19th centuryfolkloristandphilologistJacob Grimmspeculates, in the second volume of hisDeutsche Mythologie, that thefolk customof Easter eggs among the continental Germanic peoples may have stemmed from springtime festivities of aGermanic goddessknown in Old English asĒostre(namesake of modern EnglishEaster) and possibly known in Old High German as *Ostara(and thus namesake of Modern GermanOstern'Easter'). However, despite Grimm's speculation, there is no evidence to connect eggs with a speculative deity named Ostara.The use of eggs as favors or treats at Easter originated when they were prohibited during Lent.A common practice in England in the medieval period was for children to go door-to-door begging for eggs on the Saturday before Lent began. People handed out eggs as special treats for children prior to theirfast.
Although one of the Christian traditions are to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled withcandysuch asjelly beans; as many people give up sweets as theirLenten sacrifice, individuals enjoy them at Easter after having abstained from them during the preceding forty days ofLent.These eggs can be hidden for children to find on Easter morning, which may be left by theEaster Bunny. They may also be put in abasketfilled with real or artificial straw to resemble abird's nest.
While the practice of giving away easter eggs is, to this day popular, it was briefly banned in1916sHungaryin the Easter Egg Act, due to the scarsity caused by theongoing war, and the ban was only lifted, when the war ended. The contemporary news reports emphasised however, that thelocsoláswas still legal to practice.
The Easter egg tradition may also have merged into the celebration of the end of the privations ofLent. Traditionally, eggs are among the foods forbiddenfastdays, including all of Lent, an observance which continues among theEastern Christian Churchesbut has fallen into disuse inWestern Christianity.
Historically, it has been traditional to use up all of the household's eggs before Lent began.
This established the tradition ofPancake Daybeing celebrated onShrove Tuesday. This day, the Tuesday beforeAsh Wednesdaywhen Lent begins, is also known asMardi Gras, a French phrase which translates as "Fat Tuesday" to mark the last consumption of eggs and dairy before Lent begins.
In the Orthodox Church,Great Lentbegins onClean Monday, rather than Wednesday, so the household's dairy products would be used up in the preceding week, calledCheesefare Week.
During Lent, since chickens would not stop producing eggs during this time, a larger than usual store might be available at the end of the fast. This surplus, if any, had to be eaten quickly to prevent spoiling. Then, with the coming of Easter, the eating of eggs resumes.  Some families cook a special meatloaf with eggs in it to be eaten with the Easter dinner.
To avoid waste, it was common for families tohard boilorpickleeggs that their chickens produced during lent, and for this reason theSpanish dishhornazo(traditionally eaten on and around Easter) contains hard-boiled eggs as a primary ingredient. InSpainit is common for godparents to give aEaster monato their godchildren during Easter period. 
InHungary, eggs are used sliced in potato casseroles around the Easter period.
Some Christians symbolically link the cracking open of Easter eggs with theempty tombof Jesus.
In the Orthodox churches, Easter eggs areblessedby the priest at the end of thePaschal Vigil(which is equivalent toHoly Saturday), and distributed to the faithful. The egg is seen by followers ofChristianityas a symbol ofresurrection: while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.
Similarly, in theRoman Catholic ChurchinPoland, the so-calledświęconka, i.e. blessing of decorative baskets with a sampling of Easter eggs and other symbolic foods, is one of the most enduring and beloved Polish traditions on Holy Saturday.
DuringPaschaltide, in some traditions the Pascal greeting with the Easter egg is even extended to the deceased. On either the second Monday or Tuesday of Pascha, after amemorial servicepeople bring blessed eggs to the cemetery and bring the joyouspaschal greeting, "Christ has risen", to their beloved departed (seeRadonitza).
InGreece, women traditionally dye the eggs with onion skins and vinegar on Thursday (also the day ofCommunion). These ceremonial eggs are known as kokkina avga. They also baketsourekifor the Easter Sunday feast.Red Easter eggs are sometimes served along the centerline of tsoureki (braided loaf of bread).
InEgypt, it is a tradition to decorate boiled eggs duringSham el-Nessimholiday, which falls every year after theEastern ChristianEaster.
Coincidentally, every Passover, Jews place a hard-boiled egg on the Passover ceremonial plate, and the celebrants also eat hard-boiled eggs dipped in salt water as part of the ceremony.
The dyeing of Easter eggs in different colours is commonplace, with colour being achieved through boiling the egg in natural substances (such as,onionpeel (brown colour),oakoralderbark orwalnutnutshell (black),beetjuice (pink) etc.), or usingartificial colourings.
A greater variety of colour was often provided by tying on the onion skin with different coloured woollenyarn. In the North of England these are called pace-eggs or paste-eggs, from a dialectal form of Middle Englishpasche.King Edward I's household accounts in 1290 list an item of 'one shilling and sixpence for the decoration and distribution of 450 Pace-eggs!',which were to be coloured or gilded and given to members of the royal household.Traditionally in England, eggs were wrapped inonionskins and boiled to make their shells look like mottled gold, or wrapped in flowers and leaves first in order to leave a pattern, which parallels a custom practised in traditionalScandinavianculture.Eggs could also be drawn on with a wax candle before staining, often with a person's name and date on the egg.Pace Eggs were generally eaten for breakfast onEaster Sundaybreakfast. Alternatively, they could be kept as decorations, used in egg-jarping (egg tapping) games, or given toPace Eggers. In more recent centuries in England, eggs have been stained with coffee grainsor simply boiled and painted in their shells.
In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent theblood of Christ, with further symbolism being found in the hard shell of the egg symbolizing the sealedTomb of Christ—the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead. The tradition of red easter eggs was used by theRussian Orthodox Church.The tradition to dyeing the easter eggs in an Onion tone exists in the cultures ofArmenia,Bulgaria,Georgia,Lithuania,Ukraine,Belarus,Russia,Czechia,Romania,Serbia,Slovakia,Slovenia, andIsrael.The colour is made by boiling onion peel in water.
When boiling them with onion skins, leaves can be attached prior to dyeing to create leaf patterns. The leaves are attached to the eggs before they are dyed with a transparent cloth to wrap the eggs with like inexpensive muslin or nylon stockings, leaving patterns once the leaves are removed after the dyeing process.These eggs are part ofEaster customin many areas and often accompany other traditionalEaster foods.Passoverhaminadosare prepared with similar methods.
Pysankyare Ukrainian Easter eggs, decorated using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word comes from the verbpysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written withbeeswax. Lithuanians create intricately detailed margučiai using a hot wax application and dipping method, and also by dipping the eggs first and then etching designs into the shells.
Decorating eggs for Easter using wax resistant batik is a popular method in some other eastern European countries.
In someMediterraneancountries, especially inLebanon, chicken eggs are boiled and decorated by dye and/or painting and used as decorationaround the house. Then, onEaster Day, young kids would duel with them saying "Christ is resurrected, Indeed, He is", breaking and eating them. This also happens inGeorgia,Bulgaria,Cyprus,Greece,North Macedonia,Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. In Easter Sunday friends and family hit each other's egg with their own. The one whose egg does not break is believed to be in for good luck in the future.
In Germany, eggs decorate trees and bushes asEaster egg trees, and in several areas public wells asOsterbrunnen.
There used to be a custom inUkraine, during Easter celebrations to havekrashankyon a table in a bowl with wheatgrass. The number of thekrashankyequalled the number of departed family members.
Anegg huntis a game in whichdecorated eggs, which may be hard-boiled chicken eggs,chocolateeggs, or artificial eggs containingcandies, are hidden for children to find. The eggs often vary in size, and may be hidden both indoors and outdoors.When the hunt is over, prizes may be given for the largest number of eggs collected, or for the largest or the smallest egg.
Some Central European nations (Czechs,Slovaks, etc.) have a tradition of men gathering eggs from women in return for whipping them with aneaster whipandsplashing them with water. The ritual is traditionally believed to preserve the women's health and beauty.
Cascarones, a Latin American tradition now shared by many US States with high Hispanic demographics, are emptied and dried chicken eggs stuffed with confetti and sealed with a piece of tissue paper. The eggs are hidden in a similar tradition to the American Easter egg hunt and when found the children (and adults) break them over each other's heads.
In order to enable children to take part in egg hunts despite visual impairment, eggs have been created that emit various clicks, beeps, noises, or music so that visually impaired children can easily hunt for Easter eggs.
Egg rollingis also a traditional Easter Egg game played with eggs at Easter. In the United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries children traditionally rolled eggs down hillsides at Easter.This tradition was taken to theNew Worldby European settlers,and continues to this day each Easter with anEaster egg rollon theWhite Houselawn.Rutherford B. Hayesstarted the tradition of the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.The Easter Monday Egg Roll was normally held at the United States Capitol, however, by the mid-1870s, Congress passed a law forbidding the Capitol's grounds to be used for the activity due to the toll it was taking on the landscape.The law was enforced in 1877, but the rain that year canceled all outdoor activities.In 1878, Hayes was approached by many young Easter Egg rollers who asked for the event to be held at the White House.He invited any children who wanted to roll eggs to come to the White House in order to do so. The tradition still occurs every year on the South Lawn of the White House. Now, there are many other games and activities that take place such as "Egg Picking" and "Egg Ball".Different nations have different versions of the Easter Egg roll game.
In theNorth of England, during Eastertide, a traditional game is played where hard boiledpace eggsare distributed and each player hits the other player's egg with their own. This is known as "egg tapping", "egg dumping", or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The annual egg jarping world championship is held every year over Easter inPeterlee,Durham.
It is also practiced in Italy (where it is calledscuccetta), Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia (where it is calledturčanjeortrkanje), Ukraine, Russia, and other countries. In parts of Austria, Bavaria and German-speaking Switzerland it is calledOstereiertitschenorEierpecken. In parts of Europe it is also calledepper, presumably from the German nameOpfer, meaning "offering" and in Greece it is known astsougrisma. In SouthLouisiana, this practice is called pocking eggsand is slightly different. TheLouisiana Creoleshold that the winner eats the eggs of the losers in each round.
In the Greek Orthodox tradition, red eggs are also cracked together when people exchange Easter greetings.
Egg danceis a traditional Easter game in which eggs are laid on the ground or floor and the goal is to dance among them without damaging any eggswhich originated in Germany.
ThePace Egg playsare traditional village plays, with a rebirth theme. The drama takes the form of a combat between the hero and villain, in which the hero is killed and brought back to life. The plays take place in England during Easter.
Chocolate eggs first appeared at the court ofLouis XIVin Versailles and in 1725 the widow Giambone inTurinstarted producing chocolate eggs by filling empty chicken egg shells with molten chocolate.In 1873,J.S. Fry & Sonsproduced the first hollow chocolate egg making a smooth paste that could be poured into  egg moulds.Manufacturing their first Easter egg in 1875,Cadburycreated the modern chocolate Easter egg after developing a pure cocoa butter that could be moulded into smooth shapes.
In Western cultures, the giving of chocolate eggs is now commonplace, with 80 million Easter eggs sold in the UK alone. Formerly, the containers Easter eggs were sold in contained large amounts of plastic, although in the United Kingdom this has gradually been replaced with recyclable paper and cardboard.
In Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay,hollow chocolate eggs known asOvos de PáscoaorHuevos de Páscua(Easter eggs) are popular and are commonly sold around Easter in supermarkets.Variations of this dessert containing fillings such as pistachio cream, hazelnut cream,furrunduordoce de leite, are known asOvos de Páscoa de colher(Spoon Easter eggs) orOvos de colher(Spoon eggs).
In the Indian state of Goa, theGoan Catholic version of marzipanis used to make easter eggs. In the Philippines, mazapán de pili (Spanish for "pili marzipan") is made from pili nuts.
Thejewelled Easter eggsmade by the Fabergé firm for the two last RussianTsarsare regarded as masterpieces of decorative arts. Most of these creations themselves contained hidden surprises such as clock-work birds, or miniature ships.
In Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and otherCentral Europeancountries'folk traditions, Easter eggs are carved from wood and hand-painted, and making artificial eggs out ofporcelainfor ladies is common.
Easter eggs are frequently depicted in sculpture, including a 8-metre (27 ft) sculpture of a pysanka standing inVegreville, Alberta.
While the origin of Easter eggs can be explained in the symbolic terms described above, among followers ofEastern Christianitythelegendsays thatMary Magdalenewas bringing cooked eggs to share with the other women at the tomb of Jesus, and the eggs in her basket miraculously turned bright red when she saw the risen Christ.
A different, but not necessarily conflicting legend concerns Mary Magdalene's efforts to spread theGospel. According to this tradition, after theAscension of Jesus, Mary went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ has risen," whereupon he pointed to an egg on his table and stated, "Christ has no more risen than that egg is red." After making this statement it is said the egg immediately turned blood red.
Red Easter eggs, known askokkina avga(κόκκινα αυγά) in Greece andkrashankiinUkraine, are anEastertradition and a distinct type of Easter egg prepared by variousOrthodox Christianpeoples.The red eggs are part ofEaster customin many areas and often accompany other traditionalEaster foods.Passoverhaminadosare prepared with similar methods.
Dark red eggs are a tradition in Greece and represent the blood ofChristshed on the cross.The practice dates to the early Christian church inMesopotamia.In Greece, superstitions of the past included the custom of placing the first-dyed red egg at the home'siconostasis(place where icons are displayed) to ward off evil. The heads and backs of small lambs were also marked with the red dye to protect them.
The egg is widely used as a symbol of the start of new life, just as new life emerges from an egg when the chick hatches out.
Painted eggs are used at the Iranian spring holidays, theNowruzthat marks the first day ofspringorEquinox, and the beginning of the year in thePersian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomicalNorthward equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. The painted eggs symbolize fertility and are displayed on the Nowruz table, calledHaft-Seentogether with various other symbolic objects. There are sometimes one egg for each member of the family. The ancientZoroastrianspainted eggs for Nowruz, their New Year celebration, which falls on theSpring equinox. The tradition continues among Persians ofIslamic,Zoroastrian, and other faiths today.The Nowruz tradition has existed for at least 2,500 years. The sculptures on the walls ofPersepolisshow people carrying eggs for Nowruz to the king.
TheNeopaganholiday ofOstaraoccurs at roughly the same time as Easter. While it is often claimed that the use of painted eggs is an ancient, pre-Christian component of the celebration of Ostara, there are no historical accounts that ancient celebrations included this practice, apart from theOld High German lullabywhich is believed by most to be a modern fabrication. Rather, the use of painted eggs has been adopted under the assumption that it might be a pre-Christian survival. In fact, modern scholarship has been unable to trace any association between eggs and a supposed goddess named Ostara before the 19th century, when early folklorists began to speculate about the possibility.
There are good grounds for the association betweenhares(later termedEaster bunnies) andbird eggs, through folklore confusion between hares' forms (where they raise their young) andplovers' nests.
InJudaism, a hard-boiled egg is an element of thePassover Seder, representing festival sacrifice. The children's game of hunting for theafikomen(a half-piece of matzo) has similarities to the Easter egg hunt tradition, by which the child who finds the hidden matzah will be awarded a prize. In other homes, the children hide the afikoman and a parent must look for it; when the parents give up, the children demand a prize for revealing its location.