GREENWICH, N.Y. — Easter is this Sunday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. For many, the holiday is also a celebration of the changing season from winter to spring. There are many symbols that signify the holiday such as the cross, empty tomb, rabbits, lilies, and pastel colors. One of these recognizable symbols is the Easter egg. Where did this association of eggs with Easter come from? Read on to find out!
Two Theories
There are two theories that exist as to how the egg became associated with Easter. One holds that it dates to pagan beliefs practiced by ancient Anglo-Saxons who lived in what is present day England in the Early Middle Ages. The egg was a symbol of renewal, new life, and fertility. In the springtime, the Anglo-Saxons held a festival celebrating their goddess Eostre and the coming of spring. Eggs were eaten at the festivals and buried in the ground to promote fertility.
The other theory posits that they came about after the establishment and spread of Christianity. The eggs held both practical and symbolic purposes at Easter. In Medieval times the fasting involved with Lent, a religious observance that lasts for the 40 days prior to Easter, prohibited eggs from being eaten along with meat and any other animal products. However, chickens did not stop laying eggs during this time period. So, eggs would be hard boiled and saved to be used during Easter celebrations. They would also be distributed to the less fortunate who may not be able to afford meat.
The egg was used as a representation of the empty tomb from which Jesus emerged after his resurrection from the dead. Through the years various un-Biblical superstitions about Easter eggs emerged. Some of these include the belief that eggs laid on Good Friday would turn into diamonds if they were kept for 100 years, eggs cooked and eaten on Good Friday would encourage fertility and prevent sudden death, and that if you opened an egg with two yolks that riches were coming your way.
Coloring Easter Eggs
The practice of dyeing eggs to give them color is also an old practice. There is evidence of egg dyeing in ancient cultures in Africa and the burying of gold and silver painted eggs was common in Sumer which was an ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Dyeing eggs to celebrate Easter was potentially started by early Christians in Mesopotamia. The practice spread amongst both Eastern Orthodox and Catholic and Protestant churches. Eggs were typically dyed red to signify the blood of Christ which was shed to pay for sin. This red color was made with madder roots or beetroots. Yellow, made from onion peels was another color used frequently.
A famous example of coloring eggs was done by English King Edward I in 1290. As part that year’s Easter celebrations the king purchased 450 eggs and had them covered in goldleaf and then distributed them to members of his entourage. Dyeing and coloring eggs developed into a highly stylized artform in places, particularly in Slavic cultures of Eastern Europe. Pysanky and other types of egg artwork are still made today in places like Poland, Ukraine, and other countries in Eastern Europe.
Gifting Eggs
In 13th century England, colored Easter eggs were given by serfs to their landlords as gifts. Eggs were also given as an offering to the church on Good Friday each year. The practice of tithing eggs to the church mostly disappeared after the Reformation in the 1500s, however the practice continued into the 19th century in some parts of the world. These gifts to the church or gifting eggs to others for the holiday was sometimes referred to as “Easter dues.”
In the late 1800s and early 1900s dyeing eggs became more of a tradition to do with kids. In 1878 President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House’s South Lawn the first Easter Egg Roll which has since become a yearly tradition in Washington, D.C. The tradition of Easter egg hunts was popularized during this time period too.
The late 1800s also saw the start of one of the Easter egg’s more popular forms: chocolate. For a long time, chocolate was an expensive delicacy mostly consumed in liquid form as a drink. In 1847 the British chocolate company J.S. Fry & Sons (better known as Fry’s) created the first solid chocolate bars. In 1873 they unveiled a new twist on the candy creating the chocolate Easter egg. These chocolate eggs were seen as a special present, so some were never eaten but rather saved by recipients. In the 1960s and 1970s supermarkets began offering chocolate eggs at less expensive prices making the Easter treat more accessible.
Chandler Hansen grew up and lives in Easton, NY. He is a graduate of Gordon College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in History. He serves as a writer and editor for Morning Ag Clips.