Preparing for such a great day is no less ambitious event than the holiday itself. Painting eggs, making cakes - Easter symbols, without which nowhere.
From childhood, we paint eggs in different colors for every Easter, but not everyone knows why painted eggs became a symbol of the holiday. There are countless versions, someone tells unprecedented legends, and someone calls the only reason domestic need. But still, what does the egg mean for Easter, what traditions and legends follow this interesting custom?
Why are we painting eggs?
The tradition of painting eggs for Easter appeared in ancient times. The first notes on colored eggs are found in the manuscript of the 10th century. The manuscript is still kept in the library of the Greek monastery of St. Anastasia. How to paint eggs for Easter and where does tradition come from?
Roman miracles
If you believe the manuscripts, then after the service on Easter, the abbot handed out consecrated eggs to the brethren with the words: "Christ is Risen!" Another legend tells us that the very first egg, Mary Magdalene, presented to the Roman emperor Tiberius as a notice of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
While the emperor was presented with gifts, Mary donated the most ordinary chicken egg, saying: "Christ is Risen." The emperor of Tiberius did not believe the words, objecting to Mary that a person could not be resurrected, just as an ordinary egg will never turn red. And as soon as the last words were said, 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 Jesus shed blood, a symbol of suffering and sacrifice.
The egg is a symbol of rebirth
Pliny the Elder wrote that already in those days in Rome, eggs were painted for feasts and gourmet meals. There was such a tradition that if you eat a boiled or baked egg during a meal, then any work you have begun will be completed successfully. This is because an egg is akin to the sun, revitalizes and revives 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 blessed Easter egg is the first food after a long fast. Only after the tradition of eating an egg is observed, you can start a meal.
An equally popular legend connects 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.
Household versions
There are versions that are not based on beautiful stories. For example, eggs still continued to lay eggs in the chicken post, which quickly deteriorate and do not survive forty-day fasting. That is why the eggs were boiled and stained. This was done only in order to distinguish colored eggs from fresh ones in the future.
Birth of Marcus Aurelius
Another legend relates the coloring of eggs in red with the birthday of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was on this day that one of the chickens, which was on his mother’s household, laid an egg with red spots, which was considered a sign of happiness and good luck. And back in 224, the Romans presented each other with colored eggs as a gift and good wishes.
In modern times, many are of the opinion that the custom of coloring eggs for Easter is a combination of all legends and old traditions. But no matter what traditions and legends this may be behind, egg coloring is a permanent symbol of the holiday, because it is not only beautiful and useful, but also fun.
Why exactly red?
According to beautiful legends, the answer to the question why red eggs are painted on 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 husks, beets, or even cherry bark.
But time passes, 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, and green, and yellow. Each color has its own meaning, for example, red - a reminder of God's love for the human race, blue - the color of kindness, hope and love for one's neighbor.
Egg coloring is accompanied by the so-called battle immediately on the day of the holiday. Since the tradition of breaking eggs on Easter, this game has become an integral ritual of every Easter Sunday morning. People even develop battle tactics in the battle of eggs.
What improvised means can you dye eggs?
The tradition of painting eggs has evolved over millennia, so dozens of coloring methods are known to the world. There is even its own terminology, for example, painted eggs in the same color without patterns and drawings are called dyes. But the eggs painted with unusual patterns or patterns are called Easter eggs.
And if from ancient times onion husk was used as a dye, which depending on the saturation of the broth gives a color from yellow to burgundy, now you can color the eggs with a variety of food colors, as well as decorate with the help of special stickers.
The eggs are painted on a specific day, which is called Great Thursday, Good Friday or Red Saturday. It is customary to paint eggs not only among Orthodox, but also among Catholics, and Catholics exchange not only chicken, but also chocolate eggs.
It was believed that eggs donated for Easter should be stored until the next holiday, which is why they began to produce wooden eggs and decorate them with precious stones and rhinestones.
What color is the color of the eggs?
In order to choose what color is best to paint eggs, you should find out what each of the colors symbolizes. What colors do eggs paint for Easter?
- White is a color that embodies purity, naturalness and spirituality. Truly a paradise color.
- Yellow and orange colors are a symbol of prosperity and well-being.
- Green and blue - the colors of the Virgin Mary, symbolize the beginning of a new life and rebirth.
- Bright, colorful and painted eggs - a symbol of good mood and fun, are often used for famous egg fights.
In order for life to have all the necessary benefits, you should paint the eggs in all the colors proposed.
Holy Week or Great Week
But traditions and customs touched not only the Easter Easter Day, but a whole week before the holiday, which is called Great. The most important days of the week are at its end - Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each of them has its own name and meaning:
- Maundy Thursday is a day of purity and repentance. These days it is necessary to restore order in the house, which means that all year it will be clean and comfortable. Also on this day, you should definitely visit the bathhouse, pour water and even swim in the ice hole.
- Good Friday is the day Jesus Christ was crucified. It is on this day that one should think about those sufferings and about how Christ sacrificed himself for the sake of people. This day is marked by the fact that this is the strictest day of forty-day fasting. On this day, it is forbidden to wash, wash, sew and work.
- Great Saturday is the day of sorrow. It is on Saturday that Easter cakes and eggs should be consecrated. On this day it is forbidden to swear, sort things out, refuse help, drink alcohol, work.
- Light Sunday is the holiday itself, which brings with it fun and delicious food after strict fasting.
Holiday night involves going to church, if this is not possible, then pray should be at home.
Easter traditions
Since ancient times, people believed in the magical power of colored eggs, which can extinguish a fire, as well as find a missing cow and even attract animal health. To do this, it was necessary to draw a colored 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 health and beauty, our ancestors also had such an element of decor as an egg stand for Easter, which looked very profitable on the festive table.
Easter is a great event for many countries, and each country has its own traditions and customs:
- The Romans go to the main square and listen to the Pope’s congratulations, and the very next day it’s 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 along the street with twigs and gently hit them with passing girls and women. But the girls are not offended, but quite the opposite, this is a sign that after this the lady will become both more beautiful and happier.
- A magical tradition exists in Germany. It is here that the festive morning begins with gifts that, according to legend, the Easter rabbit brings. And if for the New Year everyone is looking for gifts under the tree, then for Easter surprises should be looked for in a basket covered with grass.
- Russia and the CIS countries adhere to family traditions: Sunday morning begins with breakfast with the family and the egg battle.
Easter is a truly great holiday and is of great importance to every Christian. The holiday does not have a clear date and is celebrated every year on different days, which are calculated according to the lunar-solar 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 a day that gives spring mood, hope for a happy and bright future.
The methods for painting eggs are completely different, but the rules for preparation are the same. The following recommendations should be taken into account:
- It is important to boil the eggs so that the shell remains intact. To do this, you need to get the eggs out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking or add a tablespoon of salt to the water.
- Before cooking, eggs must be thoroughly washed and even treated with alcohol. This not only contributes to disinfection, but also after processing, the dye will lie more beautiful and even.
- In order for the egg to shine and shine, remove all moisture and wipe it with oil.
- You can eat only those eggs that have been dyed with natural dyes.
- To make eggs easier to clean after playing cue ball, after cooking they should be lowered into ice water for several minutes.
- If the eggs are intended for young children, it is better to dye them with natural dyes, such as beet juice and onion peel.
If you adhere to these tips, the eggs will not cause harm, and the fight with eggs will be a complete pleasure.
How to paint eggs?
Coloring eggs for Easter is a responsible matter. It is worth taking the process seriously and following the following recipes:
- How to cook onion paint? The recipe is as follows: you should cook the husk from the onion 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. Color is regulated by the amount of husk. The more ingredients, the darker the color, and vice versa.
- The natural green color is spinach and nettle. Color can also be adjusted by the amount of boiled grass. But if onion peel always gives a winning color, then spinach staining can be unpredictable.
- Want a rich yellow color? Boil the eggs in turmeric.
- Unusual purple eggs are obtained if painted 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 for the night. Delicate lavender color is achieved by a couple of drops of lemon juice.
- Beige and brown shades are achieved by cooking eggs in a walnut shell.
- A good colorant is red cabbage. It is recommended to grate already boiled eggs with cabbage leaves, because of this they will turn blue or get beautiful stains.
- In addition to walnuts, a rich brown color can be obtained if the eggs are boiled in ground coffee.
- To achieve an unusual pattern and make eggs in a speck, 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, tightly bandaged and boiled in any dye. Unusual egg is ready!
- Abstract drawings are created as follows: the egg should be wrapped in onion husk, the egg should be wrapped in gauze over the husk and cook in any dye. Such simple manipulation allows you to create interesting abstract drawings on the egg.
In order for an egg to become a true work of art, you should turn to the technique of decoupage eggs for Easter. In the modern world, you can not worry about the invention of new coloring methods and just purchase special sets of dyes.