Easter egg: origin and symbology

O Easter egg is one of the great symbols of Easter and it is quite common for people to give each other this item. In antiquity, the egg was seen as a symbol of fertility in different cultures, and many decorated eggs and used them as gifts. The first chocolate eggs appeared in France in the 18th century.

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egg symbology

Throughout history, the egg has been seen as one of the most traditional symbols associated with fertility and with the cycle and renewal of life. With that, chicken eggs, for example, became a gift item. This association of the egg with fertility was present in the most varied peoples of the THEseniority.

In some ancient cultures, the egg was seen as a symbol representing fertility.

At Persia, for example, it was common for dinner table was decorated with colored eggs during Noruz, a festival that celebrated the New Year in Persian culture. This celebration was connected with the Zoroastrianism, popular religion in Persia. The colored eggs that decorated the dinner table were consumed at the end of the night.

There was also a strong symbology of eggs in Chinese culture. Chinese mythology stated that the formation of the Universe took place through the birth of Pan Ku. That god would have been formed inside an egg and, when freed, the parts of the egg would have formed the Universe. You romans, in turn, believed that the Universe had an oval shape.

At Ukraine, before the arrival of Christianity, the eggs were considered a source of life and understood as a symbol of the rebirth of life after the harsh winters that hit the region. Furthermore, eggs had a very strong association with Dazhboh, god of the sun in Slavic mythology.

In pagan Europe, there are still scholars who make a relationship of eggs with Ostara, god present in Germanic mythology. The cult of Ostara had a great relationship with the spring, period in which life is reborn after a long winter. To celebrate the occasion, there was a game in which children looked for decorated eggs in their homes.

The big factor that unites some of the events mentioned is the spring equinox. These celebrations took place close to that moment, which marks the beginning of this season. As we know, the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere occurs at about the same time as the celebration of Easter.

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Christian Symbology of the Easter Egg

The relationship between the egg and Easter has a certain relationship with Christianity, since there are legends that promote this the relationship of the egg and the rabbit with the resurrection of Jesus. These legends can help us understand some of this relationship between the egg and Easter, although it is not possible to confirm the veracity of many of them.

The Greek Orthodox, for example, narrate a story involving Mary Magdalene, the Roman Emperor, and a basket of eggs. In this legend, Mary Magdalene would have gone to Rome to tell the emperor about the resurrection of Christ. However, she would have been mocked by the emperor, who said that Christ's resurrection was as true as the red color of the eggs she held.

Immediately the eggs in her basket turned red, and Mary Magdalene would have used the occasion to preach to the Roman Emperor. This made the egg an important symbol of orthodox christianity, and its red color also symbolized the blood of Christ.

There are also stories that relate the egg to the tomb of Jesus, therefore, the egg, like the tomb, appears to have no life in its interior; however, a life is born from the egg, just as Jesus was reborn from his tomb.

Egg decoration

Fabergé eggs became a very luxurious tradition among Russian kings of the Romanov dynasty. [1]

The decoration and association of the egg with Easter are difficult issues to be defined. Historians don't know how to pinpoint the actual historical moment when things happened, but certain data can help us get a better picture of this and other issues surrounding Easter.

First, it was mentioned in this text that the Persians, for example, decorated eggs and put them on the dinner table during Noruz. In pre-Christian Ukraine, the cult of Dazhboh, held at the end of winter, had eggs that were covered with beeswax and then decorated.

Among the Germanic peoples, the game that celebrated the arrival of spring was played with decorated eggs. Other peoples of antiquity, like the Egyptians, also decorated eggs and the practice was consolidated in Europe. In an area of ​​England called Lancashite, there was a custom, known as Pace-Egging, to decorate eggs and use them as gifts.

You orthodox, as mentioned, in places like the Greece, they used to dye eggs red to associate them with the blood of Jesus. The practice of decorating eggs has spread across Europe since the Middle Ages. Hand painting soon gave way to other forms of decoration, and porcelain eggs began to be produced and decorated, for example.

The most symbolic case is the Faberge eggs, produced by Peter Carl Fabergé, a Russian jeweler who produced luxurious eggs that were decorated with precious stones. These eggs were produced as a order of the russian kings that belonged to the Romanov dynasty.

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chocolate and the easter egg

In the 18th century, confectionersfrenchdecided to make chocolate eggs and decorate your interior with chocolates. The custom was successful and consolidated during the Easter period, but not everyone had access to this merchandise, as, at the time, chocolate and the Easter egg were very expensive items.

Only in the 18th century, the Easter egg began to be produced from chocolate.

Over time, the price of the Easter egg became more affordable and this item has become one of the most popular Easter items. Currently, the Easter egg trade heats up the market every year, generating jobs and moving millions of reais in Brazil and other countries.

Image credits:

[1] PhotosMik and Shutterstock

By Daniel Neves
History teacher