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Eggs have been symbols of immortality, rebirth, and new life for centuries. Christians used to anticipate eggs on Easter morning after being prohibited during Lent. Different cultures have unique ways of decorating eggs, including Ukrainian pysanky and Mexican cascarones. Chocolate eggs and jelly beans are later Easter traditions.
Prehistoric graves yielded clay eggs, buried with their inhabitants as tokens of immortality. The ancient Romans decorated eggs and gave them away to celebrate the spring equinox. As these examples demonstrate, eggs have long been symbols of immortality, rebirth, and new life. Dyeing eggs in bright colors and decorating them is a tribute to the vitality and fertility evident everywhere in spring; new life emerging after the cold, dark hibernation of winter. With the advent of Christianity, the symbolism of the egg was adapted to denote Christian principles of renewal, especially the resurrection of Christ on Easter morning.
Despite the symbolism, Easter eggs have historically exerted a particular fascination even on Christians who observed Lent. For many years, eggs were prohibited by the Catholic Church, along with meat, during the Lenten fasting period. As a result, eggs were a much-anticipated part of breakfast on Resurrection Sunday, or Easter morning. It is customary in some Slavic countries to bring brightly colored eggs to church on Holy Saturday to be blessed before consumption at breakfast the next day.
Over the centuries, Easter eggs have been dyed with natural dyes made from plant materials and other foods. Today, while some people still prefer the muted tones produced by natural dyes, commercial dyes are available in tablet, powder, and liquid form. Different cultures have different customs related to how they make decorated eggs a part of their Easter celebration. Hidden egg hunts and egg rolling contests remain popular.
Almost all cultures that include the Easter egg tradition color or embellish the eggs in some way. Ukrainian pysanky are eggs richly decorated with a wax resist technique that produces incredibly beautiful and intricate designs. In Mexico and the American Southwest, cascarones are brightly colored eggshells that have been blown away and filled with confetti. Cascarones are smashed over the heads of unsuspecting friends and family, showering them with confetti and hopefully good luck.
Greek tsoureki is a traditional Easter bread that contains eggs dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ. The Italian version of this bread, pani di Pasqua all’uovo, is a braided loaf studded with colored eggs. Brightly dyed hard-boiled Easter eggs are placed into the dough of different Eastern European versions of babka before baking.
Chocolate Easter eggs and jellies are later incarnations of the Easter “egg,” appearing in Easter baskets in the early 1800s and 1930s, respectively. Jelly beans were around before, they just didn’t have an association with the Easter Bunny until this time.
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