Painted eggs for Easter are a symbol of what. Why are eggs painted at Easter? How to paint eggs for Easter and how it was done before

Have you ever wondered why eggs are painted on Easter, and why they must be on the Easter table? It turns out that the tradition of painting eggs for Easter has its own legend, according to which during the existence of the Roman Empire, people could visit the emperor with a petition only by bringing him something as a gift. The rich carried gold as a gift to the ruler, and those who did not have gold brought what was in household. And when Mary Magdalene decided to bring the news of the resurrection of Christ to Emperor Tiberius, it turned out that she had nothing but a white chicken egg. Holding out her gift, she said “Christ is risen!”, but the emperor laughed and replied that he would believe this news only if this white egg changed its color to red. Naturally, at the same moment a miracle happened, and the egg turned bright red. Then the utterly surprised emperor said, “Truly, he has risen!” From here came the custom to paint eggs and greet Easter with these phrases. And that is why in the old days they dyed eggs red, as indicated in the legend. Now that it has become clear why eggs are painted on Easter and why they are most often red, it’s time to figure out how to properly paint eggs.

Why eggs are most often painted red for Easter, we have already figured out - this is done according to tradition, and not because the range of natural dyes is limited. In fact, multi-colored Easter eggs can be obtained without artificial dyes, although it is undoubtedly easier to do this with their help.

So, how and with what to color eggs for Easter if you haven’t stocked up on food coloring? Yes, just like they were painted in the old days! So, first decide on the desired color, and then start preparing the coloring broth. To make the color more saturated, the broth must first be allowed to brew for about half an hour, and then boil the eggs in it.

To color eggs red, use beets, to get a brown tint, onion peel is suitable, for light yellow, carrots or oranges, but more saturated yellow eggs will be given birch leaves or shell walnut. Also for Easter, eggs can be dyed in Blue colour with the help of red cabbage leaves, for a beige color you need to use coffee. Boil eggs for coloring in such broths for 15-30 minutes.

With food coloring, things are easier. It is necessary to lower the hard-boiled eggs into the dye solution for 10-15 minutes. After the egg is taken out and dried, on a napkin, without wiping. But it is worth remembering that eggs with damaged, cracked shells during cooking are not recommended for such coloring - getting the dye (whatever it is food) into the egg is not desirable.

After coloring and drying, Easter eggs are advised to grate vegetable oil for shine.

How to get patterns when dyeing Easter eggs?

Not everyone wants to be limited to solid colors in the coloring of eggs and try to paint them with any patterns. True, not everyone knows exactly how to do this. The most obvious thing is to paint the eggs with gouache or watercolors. But this is a long, painstaking and thankless job - when cleaning, all the paint will remain on your hands. It is much easier and faster to make sure that after boiling and immersing in a coloring solution, the eggs immediately turn out with patterns. This can be achieved in several ways. For example, cut out figures from the plaster and stick them on the eggs, then boil the eggs in onion peel (or dip the boiled eggs into the dye solution), dry and peel off the plaster. For more subtle patterns, you can use a wax candle - apply wax patterns, paint and dry the eggs, and only then clean the wax. Or try lace - you need to wrap the eggs in cloth, dye and dry, then the cloth needs to be removed and you will get Easter eggs painted with fancy patterns.

Long before the advent of Christianity, the ancient peoples considered the egg a prototype of the Universe - the world surrounding man was born from it. The attitude to the egg as a symbol of birth was reflected in the beliefs and customs of the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. And the Christian custom of giving each other Easter eggs is rooted in antiquity. Even in pagan times, this item had a huge symbolic meaning He was associated with life itself. An ancient Latin proverb says "All living things [come] from an egg."

In ancient Jerusalem, the egg was a symbol of the rebirth of nature on the vernal equinox. And this philosophical image passed into the Christian tradition, in which the Easter egg symbolizes new life, its rebirth.

According to legend, the first Easter egg Mary Magdalene presented to the Roman Emperor Tiberius. This happened shortly after the ascension of Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene went to see the emperor. In those days, it was customary, when coming to the emperor, to bring him gifts. The wealthy brought jewelry, and the poor brought what they could. Therefore, Mary Magdalene, who had nothing but faith in Jesus, handed the emperor Tiberius a chicken egg with an exclamation:
"Christ is risen!" The emperor, doubting what was said, noted that no one can rise from the dead, and this is just as hard to believe as that a white egg can turn red. Before Tiberius had time to finish these words, the egg began to change color from white to bright red.
For bearers of faith in Christ, red-painted eggs symbolized the blood shed by Christ and His death. Under the red shell of the egg is a white protein, which serves as a symbol of the Resurrection and the life of Christ.

In Orthodox everyday life, Easter eggs are not only painted, but also intricately painted. Such eggs are reminiscent of the scourging of Christ with the lines of their patterns. Therefore, it is necessary to paint and paint eggs on a special day in Holy Week (week) - on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday

Fun and games with easter eggs

For centuries, the favorite Easter game in Rus' was "ball rolling" They arranged this game like this: they installed a wooden or cardboard “skating rink” and around it they freed up a flat place on which they laid out painted eggs, toys, plain souvenirs. Playing children approached the “skating rink” in turn and each rolled their own egg. The object that the testicle touched became the winner.

The children loved and "clink glasses" eggs with each other, hitting the opponent's egg with the blunt or sharp end of a dyed hard-boiled egg. The winner was the one whose egg did not break.

Why is the Easter Bunny delivering colored eggs at Easter?

There is a legend about this
At the time when the ark plowed the boundless waters that created the Great Flood, it came across the bottom of the top of the mountain, and a gap appeared in the vessel. And the ark would have gone into the deep waters, if not for the hare, which closed the hole with its short tail. It is in memory of the brave coward that legends were born. Children who are waiting for the Easter bunny or Easter bunny are sure that it is he who, in a magical meadow in the forests of the German lands, cooks magic herbs in pots on firefly pollen, with which he manually paints each Easter egg. This animal among the Germanic peoples in ancient times was considered one of the symbols of fertility and prosperity. Gradually, the hare, as one of the emblems of Easter, appeared in England.

Interestingly, the custom of giving Easter eggs to each other exists in both Catholic and Orthodox countries. For example, in Italy and Germany, it is customary to bring chocolate eggs wrapped in multi-colored foil in a basket. Moreover, the German and Italian Easter basket, as a rule, also contains a chocolate hare.

Today we will talk about the Christian traditions of celebrating Easter, and more specifically, why Easter eggs are painted red or any other colors, and also why Easter eggs are served to festive table what exactly they symbolize for Christians in tradition and beliefs. What dyes should be used to paint real Easter eggs, and why they beat them for Easter, finding out whose is stronger. And also don't forget to make a wish by receiving the first Easter egg as a gift.

Where did the tradition of painting eggs for Easter come from?

Like any holiday or religious tradition, the custom of painting eggs for Easter did not arise by itself, but has a certain logic and a little history explaining why eggs are painted red for Easter. We have already told about a religious dish similar in meaning.

Naturally, there are a lot of story options why eggs are painted for Easter, from the most ancient ones rooted in the thousand-year history of mankind, to modern Christian traditional stories. And today we will talk specifically about the Christian version of this ritual and the Christian stories of its occurrence, and read the more ancient analogues of the origin of the tradition of coloring and honoring eggs in the next article.

The Christian tradition of painting eggs for Easter is often explained by the fact that the red Easter egg is very often a symbol of the empty tomb of the resurrected Christ, more precisely, like a symbolic stone doused with his martyr's blood, which he voluntarily gave for the forgiveness of sins to all mankind. And at the same time serves as a reminder of the resurrection of Christ and the suffering of Christ for the sins of people.

Or, for example, another story where the tradition of painting eggs for Easter could come from says that this is exactly what the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, did. Since it was not possible to buy normal toys from poor people, it remained only in such a simple way to make them from ordinary eggs by dyeing them in different colors.

Another legend about Easter eggs is that 3 days before the resurrection of Christ, a small Jewish meal was held, during which one of the guests recalled the prophecy of the resurrection, then the rest laughed at him and said that the previously fried chicken on their table would come to life, and her eggs would turn red. What actually happened, as if foreshadowing that the prophecy will be destined to come true in reality.

Why paint eggs for Easter

The Lutheran Church, also professing Christianity, tells a different story about the origin of the tradition of painting Easter eggs. According to the Lutheran version, an egg dealer carrying eggs for sale in the nearest market, passing along Golgotha, saw that Jesus, overcoming pain, was carrying his heavy cross.

Then the honest merchant, without even thinking, threw his basket and rushed to help Jesus, and when he returned, he found eggs in the basket that were no longer white and bright red.. And naturally as a token of the miracle that had taken place, he did not dare to sell these eggs, but instead distributed them to his friends, neighbors and relatives, telling this strange story.

Red Easter eggs

Of course, there are other versions of stories that tell where the tradition originated and why red eggs are painted for Easter, but one of the most plausible and widespread is the story of Mary Macdalen, who decided to notify and convey the good news of the resurrection of Christ to the reigning emperor Tiberius at that time.

But there was one problem, at that time there was a tradition according to which people could get an appointment with the emperor himself, only on the condition that they bring him some valuable thing as a gift. This was done most likely so that the emperor would not be disturbed unless absolutely necessary.

Rich people naturally brought gold, carpets and other valuable gifts to the emperor, while poorer people brought something from their homes. Mary Magdalene naturally had nothing of value in the house, and this time, in general, there was only one ordinary white chicken egg, which she decided to present as a gift to Tiberius.

Why are Easter eggs red?

Further on in history, having got the same audience, Mary held out her gift with the words "Christ is risen!". But the emperor laughed when he heard about the resurrection of a dead person, and said that he would believe in this story only if this white chicken egg in her hand turned red. Which, of course, happened at that moment.

Naturally, it was a miracle, so the stunned emperor almost without hesitation said "Truly risen!". It was from here that the tradition of painting eggs for Easter came exactly in red, notifying everyone of the great divine miracle and sign that happened on this unusual day. And also reminding that one day all the dead on earth will be resurrected and gain the kingdom of God.

Where did the tradition of saying “Christ is risen!” come from?

Actually from this story, as you may have guessed, the tradition went at the same time to get up in the morning on Easter Sunday, and first of all notify everyone you met that day about the good news of the resurrection of Christ with the words “Christ is risen!” according to tradition, receiving an immediate answer, "Truly risen!".

And this ritual, according to custom, continues throughout the Easter week, also as a reminder of this even greater miracle of the resurrection of Christ and to spread this “good news” among as many people as possible, which Mary did.

There are other, but less and less likely stories of the origin of this strange religious ritual and the custom of dyeing eggs for Easter. For example, Russian legends say that at the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all the stones turned into red Easter eggs.

There is also a small Christian legend about the holy Apostle Peter and his disciples, according to which, one day, the Apostle Peter and his disciples walked around the city. But then suddenly there were evil people and enemies of the Christian faith, who decided to throw stones at them in a crowd.

But a miracle happened when the first stone that flew at them turned into a chicken egg, also red, which also happened with other stones flying at them. Then the people who threw these stones finally believed in the Divine power and stopped oppressing the Gentiles and heretics, who were then considered Christians.

Non-religious history of the origin of the tradition of painting eggs for Easter

There is truth and it is a version of the origin of the ritual of dyeing eggs of absolutely no religious persuasion, no mythology, and not even from holy scripture, but of a purely everyday nature.

In the old days there were no modern refrigerators, and during the Great Lent (which, by the way, ends with the celebration of Easter itself), it is strictly forbidden by religious traditions and dogmas to eat eggs at this time.

As a result, in order to keep this rather valuable product without a refrigerator for the entire period, namely 6 weeks, which last great post, the eggs were just boiled. Well, in order to then be able to distinguish boiled eggs from raw ones, they were painted on top with various food dyes in different colors.

And when it also came big celebration the end of the fast, and finally it was possible to eat enough and “break the fast” with tastier foods that were previously forbidden. Therefore, in fact, everyone rejoiced and ate multi-colored eggs, playing various folk games from their excess.

Which we will talk about in the next article about the history of Easter eggs and various rituals, stories, beliefs and traditions associated with eggs and their coloring in the older pre-Christian time, and what they have grown into in our modern period.

Why are eggs given at Easter?

Well, at the end of this story, I will remind you of another interesting tradition associated with Easter eggs, and one of the main reasons why it is customary to give them for Easter.

The fact is that there is an opinion or, according to the old lexicon, an Easter "belief": If you don't forget to receive the first Easter egg as a gift in the morning, make some good and worthy wish.

That such an Easter wish always comes true, provided that faith and love reign in your heart at least on this holiday.

By the way, in this way, you can check whether faith and love reign in your heart, so I recommend that you live at least one day without losing awareness and without letting go of these feelings from your heart.

Previously, saints used such practices to ensure that these great and closest feelings to God reigned in their hearts throughout their lives. And for such people, desires naturally came true almost every day, try something like that, you might get something similar for you, I’m sure it won’t be worse in any case.

On Easter, it is customary to consecrate in the temple and give each other painted chicken eggs. Today we will tell you where this tradition came from.

WHAT THE EASTER EGG SYMBOLIZES

In Christianity, the Easter egg is a symbol of the Holy Sepulcher, in which eternal life was hidden.

In Palestine, the tombs were arranged in caves, and the entrance was closed with a stone, which was rolled off when they were supposed to lay the deceased.

Tradition says that the stone with which they closed the tomb of Jesus Christ resembled an egg in shape. We know what lies under the egg shell new life. Therefore, for Christians, the Easter egg is a reminder of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, salvation and eternal life. The red color most often dyed in eggs signifies the suffering and blood of Christ.

WHERE THE TRADITION OF COLORING EGGS COME FROM

The first mention of painted eggs is found in a 10th-century manuscript found in the library of the Greek monastery of St. Anastasia. According to the manuscript, after the Easter service, the abbot distributed the consecrated eggs to the brethren with the words: “Christ is Risen!”

There are several versions of the origin of the tradition of painting eggs for Easter.

According to legend, the painted egg became a symbol of Easter after the miracle of Mary Magdalene. Orthodox Church venerates her as an Equal-to-the-Apostles saint and myrrh-bearer, who preached about the resurrected Christ in Rome before the arrival of the Apostle Paul there and two more years after his departure from Rome, after the first trial of him.

Mary Magdalene came with a sermon to the Roman emperor Tiberius (14-37 years). According to the ancient custom, gifts were brought to the emperor, and Magdalene offered an egg with the words: “Christ is Risen!”.

The emperor replied that, just as an egg is white and not red, so the dead do not rise. At that moment, the egg in his hand turned red.

Pliny the Elder wrote that the Romans used colored eggs for games, temple rites and rituals. The Romans also had a custom at the beginning of the festive meal to eat a baked egg, which meant the successful start of a new business. Plutarch explained these traditions by saying that the egg is like the sun, which revives and revives everything.

It is also assumed that the custom of dyeing eggs is associated with the birth of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius: on that day, one of his mother's chickens laid an egg with red dots, which was interpreted as a lucky omen. Since 224, it has become a custom for the Romans to send colored eggs as a congratulation to each other.

There is an assumption that the custom of painting eggs for Easter is associated with the pre-Christian celebration of spring. For many nations, the egg was the personification of life-giving power. The whole universe seemed to come out of an egg. In the beliefs and customs of the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, the egg was a symbol of birth and rebirth.

HOW ORTHODOX EGGS DYED IN ANCIENT

In Russia, many ways of coloring eggs were known.

Easter eggs painted in one color, without a pattern, were called krashenka (or galunki). Usually, natural dyes were used to prepare krashenka, primarily onion peel, which made it possible to obtain a rich terracotta color and yellow of varying intensity. You can get other colors with the help of strong herbal decoctions.

Eggs painted with a special ornament were called pysanky. Easter eggs were painted only raw, and they were not suitable for food. After the Trinity, it was customary to blow them out. A painted egg was turned into a bird by gluing wings to the shell.

Now you can dye eggs with food coloring or with the help of special stickers.

In most countries, women and girls paint and paint eggs. In the Balkans, even Muslims themselves dyed eggs, and willingly accepted them for Easter as a gift from Christians. As a rule, one of the days is devoted to dyeing eggs. Holy Week; in Russia it is Maundy Thursday, Good Friday or Saturday, which because of this was called "Krasilnaya" or "Red".

It is customary for Catholics to paint and give eggs for Easter. In the Catholic tradition, it is customary to give not only painted chicken eggs, but also chocolate ones.

Thanks to the custom of keeping Easter painted eggs until the next Easter, they began to be made from wood, and later from porcelain, silver, gold, and precious stones.

The Easter egg is a symbol of the spring holiday along with Easter cake and curd Easter. These bright symbols of the Bright Resurrection of Christ are known to every person since childhood, but perhaps not everyone knows why eggs are painted on Easter.

There are many versions and explanations - from a beautiful legend to everyday necessity, Sputnik Georgia notes.

Legends, versions, assumptions

The egg symbolizes life, rebirth, and the tradition of painting eggs for Easter is rooted in antiquity. The first mention of painted eggs is found in a 10th century manuscript found in the library of the Greek monastery of St. Anastasia.

© Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili

According to the manuscript, after the Easter service, the abbot distributed consecrated eggs to the brethren with the words: "Christ is Risen!"

But the answer to the question of when and why they began to dye eggs is still shrouded in a veil of secrecy.

Legend has it that Mary Magdalene presented the first Easter egg to the Roman emperor Tiberius to announce the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ.

According to the ancient custom, gifts were brought to the emperor, and Mary Magdalene brought a chicken egg as a gift to Tiberius with the words: "Christ is Risen!" However, Tiberius did not believe her words, arguing that no one can be resurrected, just as a white egg cannot become red.

And as soon as the last word left his lips, a miracle happened - the chicken egg brought by Mary became completely red. The red color symbolizes the blood shed on the cross by Jesus.

According to another legend, the tradition of painting eggs was started by the Virgin Mary, who painted eggs to entertain Jesus Christ when he was still a baby.

It has long been believed that the consecrated Easter egg should be the first meal after a 40-day fast. Therefore, one of the simple and vital explanations also has the right to exist.

In particular, believers limit themselves to food during fasting and do not consume meat and dairy products. This fact did not affect the hens, and out of habit they continued to lay eggs. To save eggs from spoilage, they were boiled, and various dyes were added during cooking, in order to subsequently distinguish boiled egg from raw.

There is also an assumption that the custom of painting eggs for Easter is associated with the pre-Christian celebration of spring. For many nations, the egg was the personification of life-giving power, therefore, in the customs and beliefs of the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, the egg was a symbol of birth and rebirth.

© Sputnik / Mikhail Mordasov

Perhaps the tradition of painting eggs for Easter appeared and became fixed as a combination of several of the above versions. But in any case, a painted Easter egg is very beautiful, useful, and an integral part of the holiday.

Initially, the color was only red, symbolizing the blood of Christ. And the most common dyes for coloring eggs, of course, were readily available such as onion peel, cherry bark, beets, and so on.

In Georgia, eggs have been dyed with roots for a long time. medicinal plant Madder tinting (Rubia tinctorum), which is called "endro" in the common people.

Over time, eggs began to be dyed in other colors, using natural or food dyes. And chicken eggs began to be replaced with wooden, chocolate or made of precious metals and stones.

The color of the egg depends on what it is painted with, and the color itself also matters: red is a regal color, reminiscent of God's love for the human race, and blue is the color of the Blessed Virgin, it is associated with kindness, hope, love for one's neighbor.

White is a heavenly color and symbolizes purity and spirituality, while yellow, like orange and gold, symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Green, like a fusion of blue and yellow flowers, means prosperity and rebirth.

Multi-colored and painted eggs give a cheerful mood and are the basis of Easter games. Everyone loves to play games related to Easter eggs, especially children. The most famous of the games are egg rolling and egg smashing.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

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