Why eggs for Easter. Why Easter eggs are dyed and Easter cakes are baked - the history of Easter symbols. Video: how the tradition of painting Easter eggs began
Last update- 16.02.2015
On Easter, which falls on April 12 in 2015, it is customary to consecrate in the temple and give each other colored chicken eggs. Where did this tradition come from?
What does the Easter egg symbolize?
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 that under the shell of an egg lies a 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 did the tradition of dyeing 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 did the Orthodox paint eggs in ancient times?
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.
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.
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 is to give each other Easter eggs goes back to ancient times. 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 revival.
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 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 freed up a flat place around it, on which they laid out colored eggs, toys, simple 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 the big feast of the end of the fast also came, 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.
The great feast of Easter is a joyful day for believers when Jesus rose from the dead and all our sins were blotted out.
It is no coincidence that the chicken egg is one of the symbols of this holiday. But where did the tradition of painting it come from? There are several versions of this.
Household need to paint eggs on Easter
After the adoption of Christianity, believers adhered to Great Lent and did not eat eggs for all six weeks. But the chickens were still laying, and people wanted to keep the food. They were boiled and dyed red with onion skins or table beets. It was convenient. So it was easy to distinguish raw eggs from boiled ones.
Why eggs are dyed for Easter - a theory about Mary Magdalene
After the resurrection of Jesus, she came to the Roman emperor Tiberius with this good news. At that distant time, it was necessary to bring a gift to a royal person in order to get an audience. Since Mary did not belong to a wealthy class, she offered the emperor a chicken egg as a gift. He laughed and replied that he would believe in the resurrection if it turned red. And so it happened, in his hands the egg changed color.
The tradition of ancient ancestors to paint eggs for Easter
Among all the peoples of the world, the ancestors revered the egg as a symbol of the birth of the Universe and the new life of any creature. So the egg symbolizes the eternal life hidden in it inside.
Paint eggs for Easter as a toy for a child
The mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, to amuse the child with a toy, painted eggs and offered them for fun. She was poor, so there were no other options with toys for the baby.
Why eggs are dyed for Easter - the egg dealer theory
During the procession of the guards and Jesus to Calvary, a merchant passed next to them, who carried a whole basket of eggs to the market for sale. He saw that Jesus had fallen under the weight of his cross and hurried to help him, leaving the basket by the side of the road. And when he returned, he saw a miracle - all the eggs turned red. The merchant decided to simply distribute them to relatives and friends as a symbol of a great miracle.
The Apostle Paul and his disciples - another theory why eggs are painted
Once in one city, just Paul and his disciples were preaching. There were also ill-wishers of the Christian faith among the inhabitants of that city. They ambushed Paul and his disciples and began to throw stones at them. But the latter on the fly began to turn into red eggs. So people believed in the power and truth of the teachings of Christ.
Paint eggs for Easter as a symbol of life
For Christians, the egg symbolizes the tomb of the Lord, and its red color is the resurrection.
There is also a version that the red eggs are stones at the entrance to the grotto where Jesus was buried. These stones after the resurrection changed color and symbolized the innocent blood of Christ shed for the sins of all mankind.
Easter is the most important and awaited holiday in the Christian world. Even atheists to some extent expect it, because with Easter the real spring begins. For Christians, this holiday reflects the whole essence of faith - Christ was crucified for the sins of people and resurrected on the third day. This is Easter - the Resurrection of Christ. For some Orthodox, the tradition of painting eggs for Easter is important, but is it really necessary to do this? Where does this custom originate from?
The history of Easter attributes
Passover, or Pesach, was originally purely Jewish.
When the Lord freed the Jews from Egyptian captivity, He ordered each family to slaughter a lamb and anoint the doorposts with its blood, and the spirit of death sent by the Almighty would pass by this house. The Egyptian families did not do this in every family. The Almighty took the firstborn.
Where does the tradition of painting eggs for Easter come from? To answer this question, one should turn to historical sources, because the first mention of this can be found in the manuscripts of the 10th century, stored in the monastery of St. Anastasia in Greece.
The manuscript contains the charter of the church of that time regarding the celebration of Easter and indicates a prayer for the blessing of cheese and eggs. It is also written there that the rector, greeting the brothers, distributed them and said: “Christ is Risen!”. Another manuscript of the 13th century says that the rector can punish the monk who does not eat red fried eggs on Easter, since this is a contradiction of the apostolic tradition.
For reference! In Russia, this tradition has been known for a long time. In addition to chicken, there is a whole culture of painting wooden, tin and bone paints.
colored eggs
pagan traditions
Sometimes you can come across the opinion that the tradition of baking Easter cakes has pagan roots and is associated with the masculine principle of the ancient gods. Orthodox Christians should know that such theories are nothing more than attempts by sectarian groups and pagan organizations to discredit the celebration of Easter and the Christian faith in general, to give them a ungodly meaning.
Christian traditions
Making Easter cakes and krashenka for Easter is a pious Orthodox tradition. It is not obligatory for execution, but following it brings a special triumph to oneself. big holiday throughout the Christian world.
There are several theories about krashenka as a symbol of Easter:
- This is a symbol of an empty tomb: red dye symbolizes an empty tomb and the risen Christ. The shell in this case is the stone of the tomb, drenched in His blood. Those. the red egg became a symbol of the empty tomb and Christ who died for us.
- Miracle of God: There is a legend of a miracle that God performed before the emperor Tiberius. According to legend, Mary Magdalene came to the reception of the emperor Tiberius and gave him eggs, saying: "Christ is Risen!". The emperor refused to believe it and said: “It is impossible just like the fact that a white shell can become scarlet!” and at the same moment the white shell miraculously became scarlet.
- When Christianity began to spread in Rus', and even in Europe, the pagans extremely stubbornly held on to their pagan traditions, and the theologians of that time decided not to take away the traditions from them, but to modernize their meaning and replace it with a Christian one. Thus, the feast of Easter came to the pagans, and the Church Fathers allowed them to bring eggs to churches.
As for the tradition of baking Easter cakes, it finds its roots in the liturgical rite. At the solemn service in honor of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, a special bread is consecrated - artos - which stands in the temple for the entire Bright Week, it is worn during religious processions. After a week, this bread is divided into parts and distributed to the parishioners, who keep and eat it all year, until the next Easter, as a shrine.
Since the family in Orthodoxy is considered a small Church, a tradition has arisen to make one's own, family Easter bread. Everyone's favorite Easter cakes became them. Of course, homemade cakes are not as sacred as artos, but, undoubtedly, they have become an essential attribute of Easter celebrations.
As you can see, Easter cakes owe their origin not to pagan cults at all, but to the peculiarities of worship at Easter.
Cottage cheese pasochka, which is made from homemade fatty cottage cheese and eggs, also has a symbolic meaning. It is made in a special conical shape and symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher, in which He stayed until His Resurrection. On the sides of the curd pastry, the letters ХВ are squeezed out, meaning the Easter greeting “Christ is Risen!”, As well as a cross, spears, sometimes flowers that characterize the suffering of Christ and His subsequent resurrection.
About the Easter kitchen:
Easter cake
Why cook krashenki for Easter today
Bringing eggs to churches for Easter, Christians should understand that this is only folk tradition, which is completely optional. The sin is to eat boiled egg with multi-colored shells is not, but you should not pay more attention to eggs than to Christ.
It is possible for a person to be saved only through the Blood of Jesus Christ, but not through food.
Dyeing eggs, baking Easter cakes - all these are folk customs and a person who wants to celebrate Easter is absolutely not obliged to do this. But this is not a sin.
The main thing for this holiday is to cleanse your heart and accept Christ as the Savior of the soul, accepting His death. We must believe with all our hearts that Christ died for every person and rose again on the third day. It is His Blood that cleanses us from sin and enables us to have a personal relationship with the Lord.
Why red is important
Red has always been a symbol of kings, power and blood. Jesus Christ is our King, He has all power on earth and His blood was shed for us. Thus, red dyes symbolize His blood, His royal power and power over all the earth.
Many traditions and legends that tell about eggs indicate that their color was scarlet, which is why it dominates Easter eggs.
Watch the video about dyed eggs
