A Brief History of Easter Eggs

By: Jessica Vandelay Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Just as the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a message of rebirth and spring is the season of rebirth after winter, the egg in many cultures is thought of as a symbol of rebirth; this explains this prevalence of the eggs in Easter and springtime celebrations.

Easter eggs are specially decorated and dyed eggs—traditionally real chicken eggs that are first hardboiled then decorated, but in modern times Easter eggs are made of plastic, candy or chocolate.

There are many ways to decorate Easter eggs. The most popular way to decorate Easter eggs is by coloring or dyeing eggs with food coloring or other dyes. People create designs on dyed Easter eggs by using ribbons, panty hose, rubber bands and other tools. Usually Easter eggs are dyed in pastel colors like yellow, pink, purple and blue. Today thanks to many crafting magazines like Martha Stewart Living, FamilyCircle and Paper Crafts there is a whole world of ways to decorate Easter eggs.

The exact origin of the ancient custom of coloring eggs for Easter is not known. While most people in the United States color Easter eggs with springtime colors, such as the aforementioned pastel colors, many Christians in the East dye their Easter eggs red, the color of blood, as a symbol of the blood of Christ. Still, others dye their eggs green, in honor of the new foliage emerging after winter.

Also associated with Easter eggs is the Easter Bunny, a mythical character. The Easter Bunny legend is that the rabbit brings children baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and toys the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny hides the baskets and children must hunt around their houses on Easter morning.

Though the origin of the Easter Bunny is disputed, the character was first mentioned as early as 1600 in German writings. The rabbit, as the egg, is a symbol of fertility and antiquity. German settlers introduced Americans to the Easter Bunny; edible Easter Bunny sweets were first made in Germany in the early 1800s. For more on the history of edible Easter sweets and candies, read food magazines like Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Clean Eating.

Other Easter egg-oriented traditions include egg rolling, a popular game played in England and Germany, in which children roll eggs down hillsides at Easter. There’s also the Egg dance, in which children dance around eggs on the floor, trying not to damage the eggs. The Egg dance is popular in the United Kingdom.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: For more magazines on Easter traditions, visit www.magazines.com/category/crafts Jessica Vandelay is a freelance writer in New York City.