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A Tiny
history of the Easter Egg
The egg has
been called the 'perfect package'.
Before it was
associated with Easter the egg represented a Springtime rebirth.
Just as Spring
erupted in a glory of colors and new growth...so does the egg...
it bursts
forth with new life and miracles.
The egg was
said to have special powers:
1. It was believed
that an egg buried under a home would ward off evil spirits and provide
protection to the inhabitants therein.
2. French Brides
stepped on an
egg upon entering
their new homes for the first time.
3. Romans used
it to tell the sex of their unborn child.
Through time
the egg became to Christians the REBIRTH of man...
not of Nature.
Polish folklore and legend brought Easter and the egg
together.
Two tales are told ...
The first one
involves the Virgin Mary at the cross. She
gave eggs
to the soldiers there and begged them to be less cruel and she wept.
She wept tears
that became dots on the eggs in her baskets that in
turn changed
to brilliant colors of the rainbow.
The second
tale tells of Mary Magdeline going to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus.
She had taken eggs with her to eat while she completed this sad task.
When she arrived
at the tomb she uncovered the eggs and the white shells
had miraculously
changed to a rainbow of colors.
Many different
cultures have made the egg the single most identifiable symbol of Easter.
The most famous
of all Easter eggs (The Faberge Egg in England) was created.
Peter Carl
Faberge was commissioned by royalty to produce these wonderful
creations. In all he made 75 eggs.
In Germany
children were given eggs as Easter gifts.
The Greeks
exchanged eggs and colored them crimson to represent the
blood of Christ.
Russian children
held races and games on Easter and the egg was given as
the prize.
The Easter egg hunt evolved and many of the traditions that we here
in this country
have adopted through the melding of cultures.
Today modern
children enjoy brightly decorated easter eggs,
chocolate
easter eggs and Easter egg hunts.
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