Decoration And Coloring Of Easter Eggs

It should not be surprising to discover that the decoration and coloring of Easter eggs didn't start with Easter itself, but seems to have existed as a practice long before that celebration came into being.

Eggs are linked to fertility, for obvious reasons, and have been used in and connected to fertility festivals apparently for millennia. As you look through ancient writings and archeological records that predate the origin of Easter, you see the egg appearing at moments that celebrate the fertility of the earth and the return of spring.

There were many similarities and connections between the ancient faith of Zoroastrianism and Judaism and later Christianity, and Easter eggs may be another connection. Zoroastrians began painting eggs for the New Year celebration about 2500 years ago in Persia, and their New Year happened to be the day of the spring equinox.

Judaism, too, uses an egg in its spring festival, the Passover Seder, although this hard-boiled egg is not painted. These are just two examples of eggs being involved in practices that probably became part of the history of Easter.

Over time, Easter eggs have been largely secularized, not always carrying a spiritual connotation. In Imperial Russia, the House of Faberge created stunning jeweled eggs, the miniatures to wear around the neck during Easter celebrations and larger, more intricate ones for lavish display.

Slavic cultures have turned eggs into canvases for brilliant and colorfully painted designs. Eggs began as pagan symbols, were adopted as Christian symbol Easter eggs, and now may have veered away again.

They still have some spiritual significance, but have largely become either works of art in their own right, or simply objects of fun for children.

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