Eggs for Easter: the history and traditions of the holiday. Why are eggs painted at Easter?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Preparation for such a great day is no less grandiose event than the holiday itself. Painting eggs, cooking Easter cakes are the symbols of Easter, without which you can't go anywhere.

Since childhood, we paint eggs in different colors for every Easter, but not everyone knows why colored eggs have become a symbol of the holiday. There are countless versions, someone tells unprecedented legends, and someone calls everyday necessity the only reason. But still, what does an egg mean for Easter, what traditions and legends follow this interesting custom?

Why do we paint eggs?

The tradition of painting eggs for Easter dates back to ancient times. The first notes about dyed eggs are found in a 10th century manuscript. The manuscript is kept to this day in the library of the Greek monastery of St. Anastasia. How to paint eggs for Easter and where does the tradition originate?

Roman miracles

According to the manuscript, after the Easter service, the hegumen distributed consecrated eggs to the brethren with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Another legend tells us that Mary Magdalene handed the very first egg to the Roman Emperor Tiberius as a notice of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

At that timeAs gifts were presented to the emperor, Mary gave the most common chicken egg as a gift, saying: "Christ is Risen." The emperor of Tiberias did not believe the words, protesting to Mary that a person could not be resurrected, just as an ordinary egg would never turn red. And as soon as the last words were spoken, a miracle happened: the chicken egg in the hands of the emperor turned completely red.

Why did the egg turn red? It's simple, the red color of eggs for Easter is a symbol of the blood shed by Jesus, a symbol of suffering and sacrifice.

Egg is a symbol of rebirth

Pliny the Elder wrote that already in those days in Rome, eggs were dyed for feasts and gourmet meals. There was such a tradition that if you eat a boiled or baked egg during a meal, then any business started will be completed successfully. This is because the egg is akin to the sun, reviving and reviving everything around.

But the legends do not end there, there is a legend that even at the time when Jesus was still very young, the Virgin Mary painted eggs to entertain the child. Since ancient times, the consecrated Easter egg has been the first meal after a long fast. Only after the tradition of eating the egg is observed, you can start the meal.

An equally popular legend links the tradition of painting Easter eggs with pre-Christian customs. Even in ancient times in Egypt, Greece, Persia, the egg symbolized the beginning of life and rebirth.

Consumer versions

There are versions that are not based on beautiful stories. For example, in the chicken post allequally continued to lay eggs, which deteriorate very quickly and do not survive the forty-day fast. That is why the eggs were boiled and dyed. This was done only in order to distinguish colored eggs from fresh ones in the future.

Birth of Marcus Aurelius

Another legend connects the dyeing of eggs red with the birthday of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was on this day that one of the hens that was on his mother's farm laid an egg with red spots, which was considered a sign of happiness and good luck. And back in 224, the Romans gave each other colored eggs as a gift and good wishes.

In modern times, many are of the opinion that the custom of dyeing eggs for Easter is a combination of all legends and old traditions. But no matter what traditions and legends are behind it, coloring eggs is a permanent symbol of the holiday, because it is not only beautiful and he althy, but also fun.

Why red?

If you believe the beautiful legends, the answer to the question why red eggs are dyed at Easter is quite simple: the red color symbolizes the shed blood of Jesus Christ. However, most people are of the opinion that even in ancient times, the most affordable dyes were ingredients such as onion skins, beets or even cherry bark.

But time goes by, and eggs are now used not only chicken, but also wooden, chocolate and even made of precious stones. And they are painted in completely different colors: blue, green, and yellow. Each color has its own meaning, for example, red is a reminder of God's love for the humanfamily, blue is the color of kindness, hope and love for one's neighbor.

Egg coloring is accompanied by a so-called battle already on the day of the holiday. Ever since the Easter egg-beating tradition began, this game has become an integral part of every Easter Sunday morning. People are even developing battle tactics in egg battle.

What tools can be used to color eggs?

The tradition of dyeing eggs has evolved over thousands of years, so the world knows dozens of ways to dye. There is even its own terminology, for example, eggs dyed in one color without patterns and patterns are called eggs. But eggs painted with unusual patterns or drawings are called Easter eggs.

And if from ancient times onion peel was used as a dye, which, depending on the saturation of the broth, gives a color from yellow to burgundy, now eggs can be dyed with a variety of food dyes, as well as decorated with special stickers.

Painting eggs is allocated a specific day, which is called Maundy Thursday, Good Friday or Red Saturday. It is customary to paint eggs not only among the Orthodox, but also among Catholics, and Catholics exchange not only chicken, but also chocolate eggs.

There was a belief that eggs given for Easter should be kept until the next holiday, which is why they began to produce wooden eggs and decorate them with precious stones and rhinestones.

What color to dye eggs?

In order to choose what color is best to paint the eggs, you should find out what each color symbolizes. What colors are eggs painted for Easter?

• White is a color that represents purity, naturalness and spirituality. A truly heavenly color.
• Yellow and orange colors are a symbol of prosperity and prosperity.
• Green and blue - the colors of the Virgin Mary, symbolize the beginning of new life and rebirth.
• Bright, colorful and painted eggs are a symbol of good mood and fun, often used for famous egg fights.

In order to have all the necessary benefits in life, you should paint the eggs in all the colors offered.

Holy Week

But traditions and customs touched not only Easter Day, but the whole week before the start of the holiday, which is called the Great. The most important days of the week are at the end of the week - Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each of them has its own name and meaning:

• Maundy Thursday is the day of purity and repentance. These days it is necessary to put things in order in the house, which means that it will be clean and comfortable all year round. Also on this day, you should definitely visit the bathhouse, douse yourself with water and even swim in the hole.
• Good Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified. It is on this day that one should think about those sufferings and how Christ sacrificed himself for the sake of people. This day is marked by the fact that it is the strictest day of the forty-day fast. On this day, it is forbidden to wash, wash,sew and work.
• Great Saturday is a day of mourning. It is on Saturday that Easter cakes and eggs should be consecrated. On this day, it is forbidden to swear, sort things out, refuse to help, drink alcohol, work.
• Bright Sunday is a holiday itself that brings fun and delicious food after a strict fast.

The night before the holiday involves going to church, if this is not possible, then you should pray at home.

Easter traditions

Since ancient times, people believed in the magical power of colored eggs, which can put out a fire, and also find a missing cow and even bring he alth to animals. To do this, it was necessary to draw a painted egg along the ridge of the animal. Women also used colored eggs to attract beauty. To do this, it was necessary to hold an egg so that a blush appeared on the cheeks, and the skin became clean and beautiful. In addition to he alth and beauty, our ancestors also had such a decorative element as an egg stand for Easter, which looked very advantageous on the festive table.

Easter is a great event for many countries, and each country has its own traditions and customs:

• Romans go to the main square and listen to the congratulations of the Pope, and the next day it is customary to have fun with loved ones, have picnics and relax.
• No less large-scale celebrations are held in Poland. An interesting tradition exists among the Poles: men walk down the street with twigs and lightly hit girls and women passing by with them. But the girls are not offended, but quite the contrary, this is a sign that after that the lady will become andmore beautiful, and happier.
• Magical tradition exists in Germany. It is here that the festive morning begins with gifts that, according to legend, the Easter Bunny brings. And if on New Year's gifts everyone is looking for under the tree, then on Easter surprises should be looked for in a basket covered with grass.
• Russia and the CIS countries adhere to family traditions: Sunday morning starts with breakfast with the family and an egg battle.

Easter is a truly great holiday and is of great importance for every Christian. The holiday does not have a clear date and is celebrated every year on different days, which are calculated according to the lunisolar calendar.

How to prepare for painting eggs?

Easter is a day of fun, laughter, a festive table with colored eggs, Easter cakes and various delicious food. This is the day that gives spring mood, hope for a happy and bright future.

Egg coloring methods are completely different, but the preparation rules are the same. The following recommendations should be taken into account:

1. It is important to boil the eggs so that the shell remains intact. To do this, you need to take the eggs out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking or add a tablespoon of s alt to the water.
2. Before boiling, eggs must be thoroughly washed and even treated with alcohol. This not only promotes disinfection, but after processing, the dye will lie more beautifully and evenly.
3. In order for the egg to shine and shine, all moisture should be removed and rubbed with oil.
4. You can only eat eggs that have been dyed with naturaldyes.
5. To make it easier to clean eggs after playing cue ball, after boiling them, they should be dipped in ice water for a few minutes.
6. If the eggs are intended for small children, it is better to dye them with natural dyes, these include beetroot juice and onion skins.

If you follow these tips, the eggs won't hurt you and the egg fight will be a real pleasure.

How to color eggs?

Coloring eggs for Easter is a responsible business. It is worth taking the process seriously and following the following recipes:

1. How to cook onion paint? The recipe is as follows: you should cook onion peel for half an hour, and you will have to stock up on a considerable amount of raw materials. After the husk is cooked, you need to let the broth brew. Next, in the resulting broth, you need to boil the eggs. The color is regulated by the amount of husk. The more ingredients, the darker the color and vice versa.
2. The natural green dye is spinach and nettle. The color can also be adjusted by the amount of boiled herb. But while onion skins always produce a winning color, spinach coloring can be unpredictable.
3. Do you want a rich yellow color? Boil eggs in turmeric.
4. Unusual purple eggs are obtained by dyeing them in violets. The recipe is this: pour violet flowers with hot water, the broth should be infused and then leave the eggs in the infusion overnight. Delicate lavender color is achieved with a couple of drops of lemon juice.
5. Beige and brown shades are achieved by boilingeggs in a walnut shell.
6. Red cabbage is also a good dye. Already boiled eggs are recommended to be rubbed with cabbage leaves, because of this they will turn blue or acquire beautiful stains.
7. In addition to walnuts, a rich brown color can be obtained by boiling eggs in ground coffee.
8. To achieve an unusual pattern and make eggs speckled, you should dip a wet egg in rice or buckwheat. The recipe for this method is as follows: the egg should be wrapped with gauze, tied tightly and boiled in any dye. Fancy egg is ready!
9. Abstract drawings are created as follows: you should wrap the egg in onion peel, wrap the egg in gauze over the peel and cook in any dye. Such a simple manipulation allows you to create interesting abstract drawings on the egg.

In order for the egg to become a truly work of art, you should turn to the technique of decoupage eggs for Easter. In today's world, you don't have to worry about inventing new dyeing methods and just purchase special dye kits.