Why Decorate Easter Eggs
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Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
Angela D. Detter
Thesis: Easter eggs play an important role in Easter: through decorating them, giving them as gifts, preparing Easter foods with them and using them in games. Outline
Introduction
I.
History
II. Customs
A. Facts
A. Decorating
B. Beliefs
B. Gifts
Conclusion
C. Foods D. Games
Why Decorating Easter Eggs? What is the one atheistic symbol that has not lost its true meaning through the years -- Not: In the church, In politics, In philosophy, In society? The Easter egg is the only atheistic symbol which has maintained its symbolic meaning. Just when the Easter egg got into Easter is unknown, but symbolically the egg represents the Spring season (renewal of fertility and the secret of life). 1 Even the oval shape is important, because most of the sacred things, from the raindrop to the seed, hold this shape; therefore, Easter Eggs pay tribute to life’s outgrowth.2 One reason why eggs were popular at Easter was because the Christians who observed the Lenten season were not supposed to include meat or eggs in their diet. During the fortyday period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, the eggs that were laid by the ducks, chickens, and geese accumulated. To keep them from spoiling, they were stored in nest of sticks and stones in cool places. They were brought out to be hard-boiled and colored for decorations and gifts, or eaten as a special treat on Easter Sunday.3 One belief of how the egg became a part of Easter is contained in the tale of a poor German mother. She hard-boiled the eggs and dyed them by using things that she found around the house, (flowers, leaves, cloth, etc.); then she built a little nest in the yard to place the eggs inside. The next morning her children discovered the eggs when a rabbit jumped from the nest and hopped away. (Here the Easter Bunny also became involved in Easter.) Soon after, children began to
Van B. Hooper, eds., Ideals (Milwaukee; Ideals Publishing Company, 1955), p.78. Marquerite Ickis, The Book of Festival Holidays (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1964), p.55. 3 Romona Richards, eds., Ideals (Nashville: Ideals Publishing Corporation, 1986), p.23. 1 2
Page 1 of 4
Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Angela D. Detter
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
build nests of straw and sticks on Easter Eve and wait for the arrival of the egg laying Easter Bunny, much like youngsters today hang their stockings and wait for Santa Claus to fill them.4 Another belief includes the bells of the churches. On Holy Thursday, these bells “fly to Rome” to mourn the death of Jesus. The night before Easter, the bells return and “sow colored eggs in the gardens.” Everywhere the children would go, there was more eggs to hunt, because “chimes are no less generous with Easter Eggs than with their joyous Resurrection music.”5 The custom of decorating eggs is explained by the longing for the colors of spring following a long cold winter.6 Coloring eggs is also said to have come about because in Greece and Romania people would carry a red egg (red to represent the blood of the Savior) as a greeting. When two friends met instead of shaking hands or kissing cheeks or saying hello, they would tap the eggs together for their greeting.7 The art of decorating eggs was done by natural means because there were no such things as food coloring or dye packs, etc. Reds were acquired by boiling pokeberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, or beets. Lavender is derived from crushed blackberries that are uncooked. Pot marigold is used for a light yellow. Brown onion skins give a burnt orange, while yellow onion skins will vary from a light yellow to a deep gold. Coffee grounds produce a light tan, while chips of maple bark cause a rust color. And many other colors are made from other fruits, vegetables, weeds, etc.8 To etch a design onto the egg, the egg is dyed in the desired background color and then (after it’s dry) dipped into hot paraffin or melted wax. After removing the egg and allowing it to cool, then the design is etched with a needle and the egg is dipped into the chosen color. The wax is removed by heating and polishing.9 A raised design is achieved by sketching the design on the egg with a pencil, then the paraffin is applied to it. After it is dry, it is placed in vinegar. After this process, all color must be added by hand or pasted on as cutouts.10 “The Ukrainians are famous for their beautifully decorated Easter Eggs. Each village makes its own design. The designs include fir trees, priests’ robes, bell towers, and chapels.”11 In the United States, children paint faces on eggs and place funny hats on them. Others are covered with ribbons, flowers, or writings.12 In Italy, the eggs were blessed by the priest, then arranged as colorful centerpieces. “In some affluent homes, as many as two hundred gaily-colored eggs were displayed in the center of the table.”13 Richards, p.22 Dorothy Gladys Spicer, Festivals of Western Europe (New York: H.W.Wilson Company, 1958), p.9 6 Hooper, p.78 7 Richards, p.23. 8 Bruce Woods, eds., “Colorful Easter Eggs ... Naturally,” Mother Earth News, 80(1983), p.181. 9 Ickis, p.62 10 Ickis, p.63 11 Elizabeth Hough Sechrist, “Easter,” World Book Encyclopedia, 6(1978), p.28. 12 Sechrist, p.26. 13 Richards, p.23. 4 5
Page 2 of 4
Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Angela D. Detter
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
Easter Eggs soon became popular as gifts. In Germany, friends would exchange handdecorated eggs with distinctive traditional designs. These designs, which are passed from generation to generation in some towns and villages, were accompanied by a legend or a verse. In many villages, girls are expected to give their suitors red eggs. Should they fail to have the eggs ready, the boys “spank them with canes!”14 In Luxembourg, the boys give their sweethearts decorated cakes shaped like a pretzel. If the girl likes him, she gives him a decorated egg of the same size as the cake on Easter Sunday and walks with him in the park. If the cake is larger than an ordinary egg then the egg may be a chocolate egg or some other egg-shaped creation. Married couples share in this exchange, also. At Leap Year, this custom is reversed.15 Italian children present their priest with eggs on Holy Saturday.16 Also on Holy Saturday, in Luxembourg, a similar custom occurs: It is customary for choir boys to visit from house to house. Everyone receives them warmly gives presents of eggs and coins. The boys eat the eggs during the Easter Holiday. The money is pooled and used to defray the expenses for an excursion with the priest to some place of special beauty or historic interest.17 Many people use eggs in their Easter feasts. “Italians bake a special cake decorated with Easter Eggs. They also take their eggs to church on Easter Eve to be blessed.”18 In France, “it is as traditional to eat an omelet for Easter morning breakfast as for everyone to wear something new.19 There are many Easter games which are played with Easter Eggs. Some are as follows: Eirthikken, Pace-egging, Eier-spacken, Eier-doppen, Jarking, Spacken, or egg-tapping, Eirlesen or egg gathering, Egg-wink or burst the egg, Easter Bunny’s Egg or pin the egg in the Hare’s paws, Egg dances, Eierschieben, Canigeln, or egg rolling, Sprinkling of girls with water for eggs, The very old yet famous, egg hunts, And many, many, more. Therefore, eggs play as important a part in the Easter festivities, as Santa plays in Christmas. And there are as many different ways to decorate the eggs as there are games to use them.
Spicer, p.61 Spicer, p.106-107. 16 Maryjane Hooper Tonn, eds.,Ideals, Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Corporation, 1972), p.32. 17 Spicer, p.108. 18 Tonn, p.33. 19 Spicer, p.36. 14 15
Page 3 of 4
Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Angela D. Detter
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
Bibliography Hooper, Van B. Eds. Ideals Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Company, 1955. Ickis, Marquerite. The Book of Festival Holidays New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1964. Richards, Ramona, eds. Ideals Nashville: Ideals Publishing Company, 1986. Sechrist, Elizabeth Hough. “Easter,” World Book Encyclopedia 6(1978). Spicer, Dorothy Gladys. Festival of Western Europe New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1958. Tonn, Maryjane Hooper, eds. Ideals Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Company, 1972. Woods, Bruce, eds. “Colorful Easter Eggs ... Naturally,” Mother Earth News, 80(1983).
Page 4 of 4
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
Angela D. Detter
Thesis: Easter eggs play an important role in Easter: through decorating them, giving them as gifts, preparing Easter foods with them and using them in games. Outline
Introduction
I.
History
II. Customs
A. Facts
A. Decorating
B. Beliefs
B. Gifts
Conclusion
C. Foods D. Games
Why Decorating Easter Eggs? What is the one atheistic symbol that has not lost its true meaning through the years -- Not: In the church, In politics, In philosophy, In society? The Easter egg is the only atheistic symbol which has maintained its symbolic meaning. Just when the Easter egg got into Easter is unknown, but symbolically the egg represents the Spring season (renewal of fertility and the secret of life). 1 Even the oval shape is important, because most of the sacred things, from the raindrop to the seed, hold this shape; therefore, Easter Eggs pay tribute to life’s outgrowth.2 One reason why eggs were popular at Easter was because the Christians who observed the Lenten season were not supposed to include meat or eggs in their diet. During the fortyday period between Ash Wednesday and Easter, the eggs that were laid by the ducks, chickens, and geese accumulated. To keep them from spoiling, they were stored in nest of sticks and stones in cool places. They were brought out to be hard-boiled and colored for decorations and gifts, or eaten as a special treat on Easter Sunday.3 One belief of how the egg became a part of Easter is contained in the tale of a poor German mother. She hard-boiled the eggs and dyed them by using things that she found around the house, (flowers, leaves, cloth, etc.); then she built a little nest in the yard to place the eggs inside. The next morning her children discovered the eggs when a rabbit jumped from the nest and hopped away. (Here the Easter Bunny also became involved in Easter.) Soon after, children began to
Van B. Hooper, eds., Ideals (Milwaukee; Ideals Publishing Company, 1955), p.78. Marquerite Ickis, The Book of Festival Holidays (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1964), p.55. 3 Romona Richards, eds., Ideals (Nashville: Ideals Publishing Corporation, 1986), p.23. 1 2
Page 1 of 4
Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Angela D. Detter
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
build nests of straw and sticks on Easter Eve and wait for the arrival of the egg laying Easter Bunny, much like youngsters today hang their stockings and wait for Santa Claus to fill them.4 Another belief includes the bells of the churches. On Holy Thursday, these bells “fly to Rome” to mourn the death of Jesus. The night before Easter, the bells return and “sow colored eggs in the gardens.” Everywhere the children would go, there was more eggs to hunt, because “chimes are no less generous with Easter Eggs than with their joyous Resurrection music.”5 The custom of decorating eggs is explained by the longing for the colors of spring following a long cold winter.6 Coloring eggs is also said to have come about because in Greece and Romania people would carry a red egg (red to represent the blood of the Savior) as a greeting. When two friends met instead of shaking hands or kissing cheeks or saying hello, they would tap the eggs together for their greeting.7 The art of decorating eggs was done by natural means because there were no such things as food coloring or dye packs, etc. Reds were acquired by boiling pokeberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, or beets. Lavender is derived from crushed blackberries that are uncooked. Pot marigold is used for a light yellow. Brown onion skins give a burnt orange, while yellow onion skins will vary from a light yellow to a deep gold. Coffee grounds produce a light tan, while chips of maple bark cause a rust color. And many other colors are made from other fruits, vegetables, weeds, etc.8 To etch a design onto the egg, the egg is dyed in the desired background color and then (after it’s dry) dipped into hot paraffin or melted wax. After removing the egg and allowing it to cool, then the design is etched with a needle and the egg is dipped into the chosen color. The wax is removed by heating and polishing.9 A raised design is achieved by sketching the design on the egg with a pencil, then the paraffin is applied to it. After it is dry, it is placed in vinegar. After this process, all color must be added by hand or pasted on as cutouts.10 “The Ukrainians are famous for their beautifully decorated Easter Eggs. Each village makes its own design. The designs include fir trees, priests’ robes, bell towers, and chapels.”11 In the United States, children paint faces on eggs and place funny hats on them. Others are covered with ribbons, flowers, or writings.12 In Italy, the eggs were blessed by the priest, then arranged as colorful centerpieces. “In some affluent homes, as many as two hundred gaily-colored eggs were displayed in the center of the table.”13 Richards, p.22 Dorothy Gladys Spicer, Festivals of Western Europe (New York: H.W.Wilson Company, 1958), p.9 6 Hooper, p.78 7 Richards, p.23. 8 Bruce Woods, eds., “Colorful Easter Eggs ... Naturally,” Mother Earth News, 80(1983), p.181. 9 Ickis, p.62 10 Ickis, p.63 11 Elizabeth Hough Sechrist, “Easter,” World Book Encyclopedia, 6(1978), p.28. 12 Sechrist, p.26. 13 Richards, p.23. 4 5
Page 2 of 4
Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Angela D. Detter
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
Easter Eggs soon became popular as gifts. In Germany, friends would exchange handdecorated eggs with distinctive traditional designs. These designs, which are passed from generation to generation in some towns and villages, were accompanied by a legend or a verse. In many villages, girls are expected to give their suitors red eggs. Should they fail to have the eggs ready, the boys “spank them with canes!”14 In Luxembourg, the boys give their sweethearts decorated cakes shaped like a pretzel. If the girl likes him, she gives him a decorated egg of the same size as the cake on Easter Sunday and walks with him in the park. If the cake is larger than an ordinary egg then the egg may be a chocolate egg or some other egg-shaped creation. Married couples share in this exchange, also. At Leap Year, this custom is reversed.15 Italian children present their priest with eggs on Holy Saturday.16 Also on Holy Saturday, in Luxembourg, a similar custom occurs: It is customary for choir boys to visit from house to house. Everyone receives them warmly gives presents of eggs and coins. The boys eat the eggs during the Easter Holiday. The money is pooled and used to defray the expenses for an excursion with the priest to some place of special beauty or historic interest.17 Many people use eggs in their Easter feasts. “Italians bake a special cake decorated with Easter Eggs. They also take their eggs to church on Easter Eve to be blessed.”18 In France, “it is as traditional to eat an omelet for Easter morning breakfast as for everyone to wear something new.19 There are many Easter games which are played with Easter Eggs. Some are as follows: Eirthikken, Pace-egging, Eier-spacken, Eier-doppen, Jarking, Spacken, or egg-tapping, Eirlesen or egg gathering, Egg-wink or burst the egg, Easter Bunny’s Egg or pin the egg in the Hare’s paws, Egg dances, Eierschieben, Canigeln, or egg rolling, Sprinkling of girls with water for eggs, The very old yet famous, egg hunts, And many, many, more. Therefore, eggs play as important a part in the Easter festivities, as Santa plays in Christmas. And there are as many different ways to decorate the eggs as there are games to use them.
Spicer, p.61 Spicer, p.106-107. 16 Maryjane Hooper Tonn, eds.,Ideals, Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Corporation, 1972), p.32. 17 Spicer, p.108. 18 Tonn, p.33. 19 Spicer, p.36. 14 15
Page 3 of 4
Why Decorate Easter Eggs?
Angela D. Detter
Tuesday, April 14, 1987
Bibliography Hooper, Van B. Eds. Ideals Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Company, 1955. Ickis, Marquerite. The Book of Festival Holidays New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1964. Richards, Ramona, eds. Ideals Nashville: Ideals Publishing Company, 1986. Sechrist, Elizabeth Hough. “Easter,” World Book Encyclopedia 6(1978). Spicer, Dorothy Gladys. Festival of Western Europe New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1958. Tonn, Maryjane Hooper, eds. Ideals Milwaukee: Ideals Publishing Company, 1972. Woods, Bruce, eds. “Colorful Easter Eggs ... Naturally,” Mother Earth News, 80(1983).
Page 4 of 4
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