Easter Eggs
The most famous token connected with Easter is the egg, the token of fecundity and renewal of life. Hundreds of years people traditionally used eggs in connection with Easter.
In ancient times they painted eggs with bright colors to give the image of the shining spring sun. People organized merry competitions in egg rolling. Lovers and romantic admirers exchange beautiful eggs with complicated pictures on them as valentines. In medieval era it was a custom to present the eggs to servants. Kids received eggs together with many other Easter gifts in Germany.
Easter eggs are covered by a layer of paint of various colors in different countries. In Greece people give each other dark red eggs, to honor the blood of Christ. Green eggs are utilized somewhere in Germany and Austria on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday). Some peculiar traceries of gold and silver were used by Slavic peoples to adorn the eggs.
Pysanki eggs are famous all over the world as sample of real art. The process is rather complicated as the master applies some melted beeswax to the fresh white egg. Then he puts it into the bowl with some dye. Then it is taken out and some additional wax is drawn over the places where he wants the color to remain. As a result the master obtains an interesting picture of lines and colors which is always unique.
In Germany and some other states the eggs were used twice: people didn't break them, but by a thin needle they made a narrow hole in one of the ends and blow out the white and yolk into a pot. Then the eggshell was painted and tied to the trees for the Easter Week. The Armenians would draw on the eggshells some pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary or used other religious subjects.
Through many centuries people considered the eggs the tokens of new life. They even believed the Earth itself hatched from an enormous egg. It's no wonder the egg was selected as the token of the revival.
Long before Jesus, people were accustomed to exchange eggs. The eggs were covered by the layer of paint in interesting patterns. The Ukraine is one of the countries where the art of decorating eggs was highly developed. The masters work with some instrument called a Kistka. It’s a cone of brass fixed in some stick. The painter puts some wax in the cone and heats it, and when the wax becomes liquid the master draws pictures on the egg, which always have the religious subject.
There are different traditions in the countries of the world. In the Northern counties of England the children go from house to house and ask for eggs and other gifts. Many of them take part in the Pace egg Play. So it is "Pace egging". Hebrew word Pesach (Passover) is the origin for "Pace eggs". In Scotland the word also occurs as Peace or Paiss.
In Poland girls used to give eggs to their beloved boyfriends. Finnish children used birch twigs to beat the adults until they were given eggs for redemption.