For me Easter is inevitably linked to chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and green plastic grass, but the icon which stands out as representative of the holiday is the Easter egg.
Every year colorful plastic eggs filled with candies are hidden in parks and yards for children to find and eventually get a crazy sugar high. I originally thought the Easter egg was like many other holiday symbols and simply something recently invented, but it turns out that the Easter egg has had a long history throughout the world.
For a long time the egg has been a symbol of life and rebirth. The painting of eggs to celebrate spring has been documented as far as 2,500 years ago. In Christianity the egg represents the resurection of Christ and church goers would bring baskets of eggs as an offering to the church.
Originally eggs were painted different colors to commemorate spring in Pagan rituals. Later, Christian traditions dyed eggs red to represent the blood of Christ. Eventually more elaborately decorated eggs became the fashion when Czar Alexander III commissioned jeweled eggs for his wife from The House of Faberge. Now eggs are made out of chocolate, plastic, or simply decorated with markers and paint.
There are different holiday traditions revolving around the Easter egg. In Mexico, empty egg shells are filled with confetti and crushed over each others heads. The egg roll is a game played in the U.K. where eggs are rolled down a hill. The egg dance is a traditional game originating from Germany where eggs are placed on the floor and the participants dance around them.
What are some of your Easter egg traditions?
Recommend
Comments (1)
Very interesting. I used to dye them as a kid.