Story of the Easter Egg
Last Sunday many of us celebrated Easter, but do you have any clue where the idea for Easter eggs came from? Well, to start, we must remember that the egg has been a symbol of creation for hundreds of years. Keeping this in mind will help you to understand why so many people valued the egg throughout the ages.
In Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth, which allowed people to become hopeful of spring after a long winter. With the emergence of spring, the earth burst forth and was reborn, just as an egg bursts forth with new life.
The term Easter comes from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, to whom the month of April was dedicated. So, along with the spring equinox and spring festivals, people started exchanging eggs as a symbol of creation, new-life, and a resurrection of nature after winter.
With the coming of Christianity, the Easter egg became a religious symbol. The egg changed from representing nature’s rebirth to the rebirth of man. The hatching Easter chick became a symbol of the tomb from which Jesus emerged.
By the Middle Ages decorating and coloring eggs for Easter became the custom in England. The wealthy covered eggs in gold, while the peasants dyed theirs with flowers and herbs.
By the 17th century people started exchanging egg-shaped toys and eventually, by the 19th century, the first chocolate eggs were made in Europe. During this time, Peter Carl Faberge, a well-known goldsmith created the most famous decorated Easter eggs. He was hired by Russian Czar Alexander to make a special Easter gift for his wife. These Faberge eggs had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg then opened to show a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown. Fifty-seven of these eggs were made in all.
Bet you never thought there were so many meanings for a simple egg. Well, now you know why the egg is such an important symbol for the Easter holiday and for spring. Maybe you could ask to have scrambled eggs for dinner tonight!
