The History Of The Easter Egg…No Yoke About ItOf all the symbols associated with the Easter holiday, it is the Easter egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the one identified by most. The customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries. Most of us, when we think of Easter eggs, we think of hard boiling them, dyeing them a multitude of colors and hiding them in tall grass blades for adorable little children dressed in all their Easter finery search for them to put in their pastel colored Easter baskets. But, the tradition and meaning of the Easter egg is so much more than just putting some color on an egg. When the first Easter eggs originated, were painted with bright colors to symbolize the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines of today. In Medieval and renaissance days, eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts. Different cultures in the world have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. To honor the blood of Christ, eggs are dyed a deep crimson red and exchanged in Greece. People of Slavic descent decorate their eggs in special patterns of gold and silver. Austrian artists create patterns by gently bur firmly fastening ferns and tiny plants around the eggs, which are then boiled. When the plants are removed, it reveals a striking white pattern. In Germany and other countries eggs used for cooking were not broken, but the contents were removed by puncturing the ends of each egg with a needle and blowing the contents into a bowl. The hollow eggs were then dyed and hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter Week. In Armenia, the Armenian people would delicately paint hollowed out eggs with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious designs. The traditional Easter eggs of today bring about the feeling of family gatherings and togetherness. In many family households, when the children are asleep, the “Easter Bunny” hippity hops into their house (much like a certain white bearded fellow in a red suit on Christmas Eve does) and hides an Easter basket full of goodies, a large majority of the basket full of rich and tasty chocolate! When the children wake up on Easter morning, they are to search around their house to see where the clever Easter Bunny hid their baskets. Many a basket has been found inside washing machines, bathtubs and behind curtains in houses across America! |