|
|
Easter Egg History
Every year at Easter the stores pack their shelves with various items to "decorate" an egg. These normal plain eggs that are usually cooked up for breakfast get all dressed up on Easter. These eggs become
colored, glittery, or a tie-dyed work of art on Easter.
Like many, celebrating Easter means purchasing dozens of eggs to decorate. But, do you really know why people do this? Mother's for generations have been coloring Easter eggs and so the tradition lives on. The question is why does a bunny deliver them?
|
A Little Easter Egg History
Roman And Jewish Beliefs
Eggs have been a part of many spring celebrations throughout history. Many people think of eggs as a symbol of life and Easter is in the spring when new life comes about around the world. Many Romans believed that all life comes from an egg. This is why the Romans used eggs in their spring festivals and feasts. The Jewish used salted hard boiled eggs as a part of their traditions as well.
Pagan Beliefs
The Pagans viewed the egg as a sacred symbol. An old Pagan fable told of an egg that fell from heaven and hatched the goddess of Fertility, Astarte (Easter). Since that time eggs have been found as symbols of new life and fertility in Rome, Northern Europe, China and Japan.
Christian Beliefs
The Christians later adopted the use of eggs into their Easter celebrations. The eggs represented the "seed of life" symbolizing Christ's resurrection. Of course there are many different beliefs that have been held about the actual use of eggs. Many believed at one time that eggs that were laid on Good Friday and cooked on Easter would promote fertility of the trees and crops. They even believe that this would protect against sudden deaths.
Easter eggs have actually become a central part of Christian Easter celebrations in North America today. This includes the chocolate Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and even decorating Easter eggs. The specific reason for decorating Easter eggs is unclear. These painted eggs have been a part of spring celebrations in many cultures for centuries. Each culture has their unique style and color traditions. The most common color in many cultures is red and a version of red. Red symbolizes the blood of Christ for many cultures.
The Faberge egg is the most famous Easter egg to date. The Faberge egg is a small gold egg encased in platinum and enamel. It was created by Peter Carl Faberge in 1883. It was given as an Easter gift to the Empress Marie of Russia from her husband Tsar Alexander. This egg was beautiful and it began a tradition with a new egg being designed each Easter. The tradition was carried on by Nicholas II, Alexander's son with a total of 57 eggs being designed.
When you think about Easter today it is generally connected to the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts. Quickly the Easter bunny became part of the Easter tradition. This is due to the fact that rabbits and hares are known for their ability to produce multiple births. This made them a natural choice for the celebration of spring and new life. These traditions live on today with young children taking part in Easter egg hunts, searching for colorful eggs laid by the Easter bunny. Many American Easter celebrations are hosted every year from the White house to community churches.
|
|
|
|
