Where did the story of dyeing eggs for Easter come from? Why were eggs only painted red in the past? Types of Easter eggs
Why are Easter eggs red? The answer to this question lies in the Easter tradition itself, in which the egg acts as one of the main symbols of the Light Christ's Resurrection. According to legend, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, during her sermon in Rome, presented Emperor Tiberius with chicken egg, while exclaiming: “Christ is Risen!”
In response to this, the Roman emperor objected that this chicken egg would rather turn from white to red than he would believe that anyone living on this Earth had the ability to resurrect. The ruler of Rome demanded a miracle and a miracle happened. In front of many people, the chicken egg presented by Magdalene turned red.
So, according to the Bible, or more precisely, according to the New Testament, red eggs for Easter firmly entered the tradition of the celebration and became, along with Easter cake, the main attribute of the holiday. Christians around the world began to dye eggs primarily red and other colors. There is an analogy here: a chicken egg symbolizes the birth of a new life. Christ the Savior, with his death on the cross, atoned for the sins of all mankind and gave new life. The shell of a chicken egg symbolizes the coffin, and the red color symbolizes the blood shed by Jesus Christ. There is another reason why eggs are painted red at Easter.
Second important red egg on the Holy Resurrection of Christ - the royal dignity of Jesus Christ. In the east, red was associated with royal power.
Until now, it is difficult to imagine Easter without eggs painted in different colors. Eggs, consecrated in the church early in the morning on Easter, along with Easter cake and other products, are the first product that is used to break the fast after the long and, without exaggeration, difficult Lent, which precedes the Holy Resurrection of Christ.
However, there is another legend about the red egg for Easter, which sends us to Ancient Rome to Emperor Marcus Aurelius. An incident is described that occurred in 121 AD. The family of the future emperor (who was a small child at the time) maintained a huge chicken coop. One day, workers found an egg laid by a chicken in the straw, completely covered with bright red dots.
This event was perceived as an exceptionally good omen, predicting a great and bright future for the new ruler of Rome. Since then, the tradition of giving each other colored eggs arose on the territory of the empire. With the birth of Jesus Christ, and later with its fulfillment great mission, colored eggs (especially red) have acquired symbolism of the Savior’s blood shed for humanity and eternal life for everyone who believes.
But this is not the only meaning of a chicken egg for Easter. The fact is that in Palestine, where decisive events for humanity took place with the advent of Jesus Christ, it was customary to build tombs in caves, the entrance to which was blocked with stones after the deceased was left there. The stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb, where they left the body of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross, was very similar in shape to a chicken egg. Thus, in Christianity, the Easter egg is a symbol of the Holy Sepulcher, in which eternal life is hidden.
Various sources describe another interesting case related to a chicken egg and the death and subsequent resurrection of Christ. A group of Jews gathered after Jesus' execution for a meal. Among the dishes on the table were fried chicken and boiled eggs. One of those present remembered the promise of Jesus Christ to give his life on the cross, and then to rise on the third day, to which his interlocutors replied that it would be more likely that a fried chicken would come to life, and the eggs would turn from white to red. The next moment the eggs actually turned red.
P.S. According to another legend, it is believed that the Mother of God herself dyed chicken eggs as a child to please the little Savior. A painted chicken egg for Easter reminds us of the great gift of Jesus Christ given to every believer.
It is customary to paint at Easter eggs in different colors, but among the colorful eggs, the central place belongs to bright red eggs. Why?
History has preserved this legend for us. According to one of the most popular versions, which many Christians adhere to, it is believed that it was Mary Magdalene who started this tradition.
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his disciples and followers dispersed different countries, everywhere proclaiming the good news that there is no longer any need to fear death. Christ, the Savior of the world, defeated her. He resurrected Himself and will resurrect everyone who believes Him and loves people just as He loved.
Mary Magdalene dared to come with this news to the Roman Emperor Tiberius himself.
According to the law, if a poor person had an audience with Caesar, he had to donate at least an egg. So she brought an ordinary egg and, with a story about Christ, handed the egg to the emperor, who laughed and answered her in the spirit that just as this egg cannot turn red, so a dead person cannot be resurrected. And right there, before his eyes, the egg began to fill with blood and became dark red... Since then, on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, we give each other red-painted eggs with the words: “Christ is Risen!” and we hear in response from the recipient of the gift: “Truly He is Risen!”
The egg has always been a symbol of life: in a strong shell there is life hidden from view, which in due course will break out of its lime captivity in the form of a small yellow chicken.
Speaking about this legend, it is worth noting that there are no records in any Christian source that describe this event, so this version is not considered official, but many believers love this very much beautiful story. In their opinion, it is she who explains Why are eggs painted for Easter?.
According to another, less magical version, Mary Magdalene simply brought an ordinary egg as a gift to the emperor. She gave it a gift look by painting it red, and she also wrote two letters on it, which symbolized the beginning of the expression “Christ is Risen.” This is how the first Easter egg appeared.
Another legend explains the tradition egg coloring on Easter because the Virgin Mary, entertaining the infant Christ, also painted eggs. And we do this, remembering that Easter is a rebirth, it is new life and bright, pure joy.
There is a legend that says that after the execution of Christ, the Jews gathered for a meal consisting of fried chicken and boiled eggs. The diners mentioned that in three days Jesus Christ would resurrect, to which the owner of the house objected: “This will happen only after fried chicken will come to life, and the eggs will turn red.” And at that very moment the chicken came to life, and the eggs changed color.
According to this legend egg dyeing- this is a symbol of people’s faith in the miracle of the resurrection of Christ, a symbol of overcoming doubts, in memory of the Day of Resurrection. It is also believed that the red color of the egg symbolizes the color of the blood of Christ, who gave his life to save people.
Scientists also have their own version of the origin of the tradition of dyeing eggs among Christians. Why dye eggs for Easter? In their opinion, they adopted this tradition from early cults, this is not surprising, because we know many holidays that were originally pagan, and then became Christian.
And in fact, custom of dyeing eggs found in many pre-Christian beliefs, including among the Slavs. Let's try to figure out why, or rather, how they could have developed this tradition. We already know that the egg was a symbol of fertility among the ancient pagans, and in the spring, when people celebrated the awakening of nature from sleep and the beginning of a new agricultural season, they decorated the eggs in every possible way in order to get a good harvest in the coming year.
With the advent of Christianity, these customs were mixed and, in addition to the many rituals that are performed at Easter, people also began to paint eggs.
Some scholars even believe that the legend of Magdalene arose to justify Christian Church, who began to observe pagan rituals. And even now, some clergy with radical views have a very negative attitude towards this custom and cannot understand why eggs should be painted for Easter. Some of them are even trying to ban this tradition among their parishioners, they say: “Observance pagan rituals for a Christian it is great sin!” -, but this tradition has long been part of Christian religion and believers rarely take such statements seriously.
Also, some scientists believe that Easter tradition dye eggs has no religious basis at all, and the emergence of this tradition is explained as follows. The fact is that during Lent, people ate a lot of eggs and so that they did not spoil for a long time, they had to be boiled, and they were painted in order to somehow distinguish boiled eggs from raw ones.
Researchers of Easter eggs note that Easter eggs reflect the archaic ideas of the Slavs about the universe, and, apparently, Easter eggs existed among the Slavs before the adoption of Christianity. In early church documents, in particular the Poznań synoidal charter of Andrei Laskarge, who denounced the pagan remnants of the Slavs, a mortal sin is considered to be Easter time“...to present eggs and other gifts...”
After all, an egg is not only a symbol of life, fertility and the spring rebirth of nature. Long before Christ, the egg was considered a prototype of the Universe itself. The very shape of the egg - an oval - symbolized a miracle among the Greeks.
The custom of dyeing eggs is also associated with the name of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is believed that on the day he was born, one of his mother's hens laid an egg marked with red dots. This was interpreted as a sign that a future emperor had been born. Over time, the Romans became accustomed to sending each other colored eggs as congratulations.
But why exactly did the egg become one of the proofs of the Resurrection of the Son of God?
In ancient times the egg was given magical meaning. In graves, mounds, and ancient burials dating back to the pre-Christian era, eggs are found, both natural and made from various materials (marble, clay, etc.). During excavations in Etruscan tombs, carved and natural ostrich and chicken eggs, sometimes even painted ones, were discovered. All the mythologies of the world keep legends associated with the egg as a symbol of life, renewal, as the source of origin of everything that exists in this world.
For example, even the ancient Egyptians Every spring, along with the flood of the Nile, they exchanged painted eggs and hung them in their sanctuaries and temples. In Egyptian mythology, the egg represents the potential for life and immortality - the seed of existence and its secret.
The egg - a universal symbol of the creation of the world and creativity - is also mentioned in Indian Vedas (golden egg, from which Brahma hatched). In India all the birds are egg laying, are called “twice-born”, since hatching from an egg means a second birth.
In the East it was believed that there was a time when chaos reigned everywhere, and this chaos was in huge egg, in which all forms of life were hidden. The fire warmed the shell, giving the egg the warmth of creation. Thanks to this divine fire, the mythical creature Panu emerged from the egg. Everything weightless became Heaven, and everything dense became earth. Panu connected Heaven with Earth, created wind, space, clouds, thunder, lightning. To heat the emerging earth, Panu gave it the Sun, and to remind it of the cold - the Moon. Thanks to Pan, the Sun warmed the earth, the Moon shone, planets and stars were born.
Since ancient times the egg served as a symbol of the spring sun, bringing with it life, joy, warmth, light, the revival of nature, deliverance from the shackles of frost and snow - in other words, the transition from non-existence to existence. It was once customary to offer an egg as a simple small gift to the pagan gods, to give eggs to friends and benefactors on New Year's Day and on birthdays. Rich, wealthy people often offered gold or gilded eggs, symbolizing the sun, instead of colored chicken eggs. The ancient Romans had a custom at the beginning of the festive meal to eat baked egg- this was symbolically associated with the successful start of a new business. It is interesting that Russian landowners of the 18th century also started the day with a soft-boiled egg - it was believed that a liquid yolk for breakfast contributed to the good absorption of the rest of the food during the day and “lubricated” the stomach.
For our ancestors the egg served as a symbol of life. It contains the embryo of the solar bird - the Rooster, who woke up the morning.
Piero della Francesca in the altarpiece of Monte Feltro(Milan, Brera, 15th century) depicted an ostrich egg above the Madonna and Child. Here it serves as an additional attribute of the legend about the miraculous birth of the God-man Jesus and points to the world that rests on Christian faith. The Byzantine theologian and philosopher John of Damascus emphasized that heaven and earth are like an egg in everything: the shell is the sky, the chaff is the clouds, the white is water, and the yolk is the earth. From the dead matter of the egg life arises; it contains possibility, idea, movement and development. According to legend, even the dead the egg gives the power of life; with the help of the egg they feel the spirit of life and gain lost strength. There is a primordial belief that thanks to the miraculous power of the egg, you can come into contact with the dead, and they seem to come to life for a while. If you put a painted egg on the grave - the first one received on Easter - the deceased will hear everything that is said to him, that is, he will, as it were, return to life and to what makes the living person happy or sad.
Orthodox symbolism Easter eggs are rooted in the thousand-year-old traditions of the religions of many peoples of the world. At the same time, in Orthodoxy it receives a significant semantic addition: the egg in it, first of all, is a symbol of bodily rebirth in Christ, a symbol of the jubilant joy of the Resurrection from the dead, the victory of Life over death. Russian folk legends tell that at the moment of the Resurrection Christ's stones on Calvary they turned into red eggs. The Orthodox symbolism of the egg also has its roots in the pre-Christian beliefs of the Slavs, who from ancient times were characterized by the cult of ancestors, the veneration of the immortal souls of the dead, who were considered sacred persons.
The first written evidence of colored eggs for Holy Easter we find it in a manuscript written on parchment and dating back to the 10th century, from the library of the monastery of St. Anastasia, near Thessaloniki in Greece. At the end of the church charter given in the manuscript, after the prayers for Easter, a prayer was also to be read for the blessing of eggs, cheese, and the abbot, kissing the brethren, was to distribute eggs to them with the words: “Christ is Risen!” According to the manuscript “Nomocanon Photius” (XIII century), the abbot can punish a monk who does not eat a red egg on Easter Day, because he is opposed to the apostolic traditions. Thus, the custom of giving eggs for Easter dates back to apostolic times, when Mary Magdalene was the first to set an example for believers of this joyful gift-giving.
As you can see, there are many scientific assumptions and fictitious legends, each of which does not have a “solid” conclusion, therefore it is impossible to say unambiguously ,
We will be happy to post your articles and materials with attribution.
Send information by email
Easter is the most important and anticipated 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 rose again on the third day. This is Easter - the Resurrection of Christ. For some Orthodox Christians, the tradition of painting eggs for Easter is important, but is it really necessary? Where does this custom even originate?
History of Easter attributes
The holiday of Passover, or Passover, was originally purely Jewish.
When the Lord freed the Jews from Egyptian captivity, He ordered each family to slaughter a lamb and smear its blood on the doorposts and the spirit of death, which the Almighty sent, 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 mentions of this can be found in manuscripts of the 10th century, stored in the monastery of St. Anastasia in Greece.
The manuscript records the rules 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 abbot, greeting the brothers, distributed them and said: “Christ is Risen!” In another manuscript from the 13th century it is written that the abbot can punish the monk who does not eat red dye 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 with wooden, tin and bone paints.
Painted 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, and to give them an ungodly meaning.
Christian traditions
Making Easter cakes and painted eggs is a pious Orthodox tradition. It is not mandatory, but following it brings special celebration to the biggest holiday of the entire Christian world.
There are several theories about paints as a symbol of Easter:
- This is a symbol of the empty tomb: the red paint symbolizes the empty tomb and the risen Christ. shell in in this case- this 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 Emperor Tiberius. According to legend, Mary Magdalene was received by Emperor Tiberius and served him eggs, saying: “Christ is Risen!” The emperor refused to believe it and said: “This is just as impossible as the fact that a white shell can turn scarlet!” and at the same moment the white shell miraculously became scarlet.
- When Christianity began to spread in Rus', and throughout Europe, the pagans extremely stubbornly clung to their pagan traditions and 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 Easter holiday came to the pagans, and the Church Fathers allowed them to bring dyes to the 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 throughout Bright Week, it is worn during religious processions. At the end of the week, this bread is divided into parts and distributed to parishioners, who keep and eat it all year, until next Easter, as a shrine.
Since the family in Orthodoxy is considered small Church, a tradition has arisen of making your own family Easter bread. Everyone's favorite Easter cakes became them. Of course, homemade baked goods are not such a sacred thing as artos, but they have undoubtedly become an integral attribute of Easter celebrations.
As we see, Easter cakes They owe their origin not to pagan cults, but to the peculiarities of the Easter service.
Curd pasochka, which is prepared from homemade fatty cottage cheese and eggs, also has a symbolic meaning. It is made in a special cone shape and symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher, in which He remained until His Resurrection. The letters ХВ are squeezed out on the sides of the curd cake, meaning Easter greeting“Christ is Risen!”, as well as a cross, spears, and sometimes flowers, which characterize the suffering of Christ and His subsequent resurrection.
About Easter cuisine:
Easter cake
Why prepare Easter eggs today?
When bringing dyes to churches for Easter, Christians should understand that this is only folk tradition, which is completely optional. There is no sin in eating a boiled egg with a multi-colored shell, but you should not pay more attention to the colored eggs than to Christ.
It is possible for a person to be saved only through the Blood of Jesus Christ, but not through food.
Painting eggs, baking Easter cakes - all this folk customs and a person who wants to celebrate Easter is completely under no obligation to do so. 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 washes us from sins and makes it possible to have a personal relationship with the Lord.
Why is red important?
The color red has always been a symbol of kings, power and blood. Jesus Christ is our King, He has all authority on earth and His blood was shed for us. Thus, the colors of red symbolize His blood, His royal power and authority over all the earth.
Many traditions and legends telling about dyed eggs indicate that their color was scarlet, which is why it dominates Easter eggs.
Watch a video about colored eggs
2Easter miracle 03/22/2018
Every year, millions of people around the world celebrate Easter. When will we celebrate it this year? In 2018, Catholic Easter falls on April 1, and Orthodox Easter will fall on April 8th. According to Slavic traditions, on this day you need to bake Easter cakes and paint eggs. These are immutable symbols and ritual food that should stand on festive table. In Canada and the USA the symbol of the holiday is Happy Easter is considered the Easter bunny, and in Armenia - sweet rice with dried fruits.
From year to year people observe age-old traditions, but where do they come from? Today I would like to talk to you about symbolism in Christianity, in particular, about why eggs are painted and Easter cakes are baked.
Before plunging into the history of the Slavic people and the mystery of the holiday, I would like to tell you a little, dear readers, about the symbolism of ritual food.
Easter Egg
Biblical beliefs say that the tomb of Jesus Christ was closed with an oval-shaped stone resembling an egg. In the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron there is a mention of what the Easter egg symbolizes. The dictionary says that since ancient times it has been the embodiment of the birth of a new life.
For Christians, the Easter egg is associated with the Holy Sepulcher, under the shell of which the mystery of eternal life is hidden.
Some sources indicate that the egg was likened to the sky: the inner film meant clouds, the yolk - the earthly part of the land, the white - water. The liquid state of the egg was interpreted as sinfulness, and the thickening was interpreted as the Resurrection of Christ.
Kulichi
Why are Easter cakes baked for Easter? According to Slavic traditions, on the first day of Easter, people baked artos during the liturgy. According to legend, kulich is a cylindrical version of this leavened bread. Easter cakes have become traditional baked goods distributed on Shabbat bright week after reading the prayer. The remains of this bread were used in rituals and fortune telling about the harvest. Residents of Ukraine call Easter cake paska. Historian and heraldist V.V. Pokhlebkin in his scientific works wrote that in Rus' Easter cakes were baked not only for Easter, but also simply on major holidays.
How did the custom of dyeing eggs originate?
There are several versions explaining the traditions of celebrating Easter. For centuries, the egg has been interpreted as a sign of rebirth. Moreover, ancient philosophers argued that the entire universe originates from an egg.
According to the Bible, the story of why eggs are painted at Easter is associated with Mary Magdalene. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, she hurried to Emperor Tiberius to personally tell him the exciting news and preach the Gospel. By ancient tradition mere mortals could not cross the threshold of the palace without offering gifts. Maria presented a chicken egg, signifying a new stage in life.
This symbolic gift was presented by Mary Magdalene with the words: “Christ is Risen!” At this the emperor laughed and exclaimed that this was as impossible as a white egg becoming red. After the words were spoken, the donated egg became colored.
For Orthodox, Catholics and Jews, red color has become a symbol of the blood of the crucified Jesus Christ.
This explains why eggs are painted for Easter. I suggest watching a video in which Archpriest Vladimir Golovin talks about this tradition.
Eating a painted egg before a festive meal among the Romans marked the beginning of a new business. The manuscripts of the ancient Roman polymath writer Pliny the Elder indicate that eggs were consumed during games, rituals and ceremonies. This tradition was explained by the fact that the egg was perceived as a prototype of the sun, which revives and resurrects everything. During the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Romans sent each other eggs painted with red specks as a symbol of happiness as birthday greetings.
Since the tradition of dyeing eggs began, exclusively red shades have been chosen. Why are eggs painted red for Easter? As already mentioned, according to the Bible, this color symbolized the blood of the crucified Jesus Christ. Later, historians published other versions.
One of the hypotheses is quite simply explained by the everyday life of Christians. During Lent (lasts 40 days), believers limit themselves to food of animal origin.
In ancient times everyone kept household and, of course, the chickens continued to lay eggs during Lent. To prevent eggs from spoiling, they were boiled in water with the addition of onion skins. This way they turned red and were easier to distinguish from fresh ones.
In England, the tradition of dyeing eggs red was considered outdated in the 19th century. But the Easter eggs haven't disappeared. They began to simply be painted in other shades, made of wood, chocolate, decorated precious stones. In Ukraine and Poland, the custom of painting eggs is still preserved. Moreover, there is a special terminology for these Easter symbols: eggs painted in one color are called krasniki, those painted with ornaments are called pysanka, and if the pattern was in the form of spots or stripes, they were called krapanki.
If previously onion peels were mainly used when coloring eggs, today the choice of shades is much wider. Iron-on stickers have become especially popular, making coloring much easier. In this case they are used as natural products(beets, cherry bark, fresh herbs), and food coloring.
The meaning of other Easter egg colors
The color of the Easter egg is of great importance:
- blue – light Holy Virgin, kindness, hope;
- white – purity, spirituality;
- red – God’s love for the people;
- green – revival, prosperity;
- yellow – prosperity.
Often, when painting eggs, you end up with a real work of art, which you then not only feel sorry for eating, but the very thought of it seems like sacrilege. So as not to harm your stomach eating disorder you need to know how long an Easter egg lasts.
Eggs are a perishable product, so it is best to eat the eggs within 3-4 days from the moment of cooking.
On day 4, the yolk becomes tasteless and a characteristic odor appears. In this case, eggs should be stored in the refrigerator, and if without it, it is advisable to consume them within 9 hours.
You can increase the shelf life in a simple way. To do this you need to lubricate the shell boiled eggs vegetable oil. But you need to remember that doctors do not recommend eating more than two eggs a day. Therefore, it is better to make some dyes or Easter eggs than to throw away the spoiled product later.
This is the story behind the tradition of baking Easter cakes and painting eggs for Easter! Perhaps this custom originated from a combination of many versions set forth in the Bible and by historians. In any case, Easter eggs always become a piece of art and table decoration. Does your family follow this tradition? Maybe you know other versions of the origin of this custom? Be sure to share your opinion and be happy!
Today it is impossible to imagine the bright holiday of Easter without traditional Easter cakes with sweet powder and colored eggs. It is they who must be dedicated to the church and be the first to taste and break their fast after the Great and strict fasting.
But few people know where the tradition of dyeing eggs for Easter came from and why they chose this particular product among many other options. Today, instead of traditional colored eggs, you can see them in special stickers, which children love. After all, the egg is in pictures from all sides, which the child loves to look at for a long time. It would be a good idea to tell your child where the tradition of painting and consecrating eggs came from, and to find out about it yourself.
Easter traditions: why did you choose the egg?
Exists huge amount opinions about when they started painting eggs for Easter and who introduced this custom. Among them there are Christian versions, as well as pagan and even quite everyday ones. For example, in ancient times, so that eggs did not disappear during the 40-day Great and Strict Lent, they were boiled. But in order not to confuse them with raw ones, they were colored in onion skins or any other natural dye. After which, such eggs could easily be stored for a long period of time.
According to legend, Mary Magdalene, who is highly revered in the Christian faith, having learned about the resurrection of Christ, decided to convey this good news to Tiberius, the Roman emperor. In those days, it was customary to come to the emperor with a gift, but having nothing but an egg, the saint presented it as a gift. At Mary’s words, the emperor just burst out laughing and said that it was easier for this egg to turn red than for Christ to escape from the shackles of death. As soon as he said these words, the egg immediately turned red, so people began to paint eggs red, which is interpreted as a sign and proof that Christ conquered death.
There is also a legend that speaks of the Jews gathering for a meal after the execution of Jesus Christ. At the table, one of the Jews reminded the table diners that in exactly 3 days, Christ must rise again. But the other only laughed at these words and, in turn, objected that this would happen before the cooked chicken lying in front of them came to life and the boiled eggs on the table turned red. In a moment, the eggs turned scarlet, and the chicken turned from fried to alive.
The third version says that even in infancy, Christ played with eggs that the Virgin Mary herself painted for him as toys.
The Easter egg in Rus' has always had great meaning, since life was born in it. After the consecration, it was laid out on overgrown oats, wheat or lettuce leaves, which were specially grown for this purpose. Throughout Easter week(weeks) it was customary to give such eggs to each other, go on a visit with them and put them on the festive table.
The blessed eggs were kept for a whole year, until next Easter, and they never spoiled. In Optina Hermitage there was a monk who, among two others, was killed on Easter. Every Easter he broke his fast with last year's egg, as proof that Christ was indeed Risen!
Why are eggs painted red for Easter and how to do it?
Known large number methods of coloring eggs, both artificial and natural dyes. Eggs that had one color were called dyed eggs or galunkas. In order to give the egg a natural red tint, you must use peeled onion peels, which our grandmothers used to paint eggs. To obtain a different color, it was necessary to use a variety of decoctions from the corresponding plants.
Today you can buy a huge number of dyes that can give the egg the most different colors. But you shouldn’t get too carried away with them, because all artificial colors are not in the best possible way may affect the well-being of your loved ones, especially children. If you want to somehow diversify your Easter basket, you should pay attention to special stickers for eggs, which have become very popular in recent years. But the most traditional Easter egg is the boiled red one.
Why did this particular color become traditional and not some other? The fact is that it is the red color that symbolizes the blood of the Savior, who suffered for our sins and was crucified on the cross. By coloring the eggs red, we honor his memory.
To give an egg the traditional red color, you need to take onion skins 5-6 large or medium onions, place it in a container with water and boil along with the eggs for 7-8 minutes. Onion peels will not only give a beautiful red hue to the eggs, evenly covering them on all sides, but will also strengthen the shell. That is why, when coloring eggs with natural dyes, you will rarely see cracked shells or leaked whites.
To give the egg a different shade, such as purple, make beetroot broth.
You need to chop the beets (can be cut into cubes), place them in a container with water and put them there raw eggs so that the water barely covers them. Also boil for 7-8 minutes and remove to cool completely.
For blue tint You need to boil the cabbage, but only the red one. We do everything exactly the same as with beets. Only chopped cabbage needs to be cooked until it turns completely white. So she will give her natural colors to the water, which will color the eggs in the color we need.
What day is it customary to paint eggs for Easter?
Housewives always prepare in advance for the bright holiday of Easter. Conducted general cleaning in the house, all the accumulated rubbish for the year is thrown out, everything is washed and ironed. Since Easter always takes place in the spring, it is also a period of renewal and new hopes. On this holiday, you can always feel some special joyful and bright spirit that lights up people’s eyes in a new way.
The last week of Great Lent is the most strict. And all the main preparations fall on Maundy Thursday. It is on this day that it is customary to wash your face with the first rays of light. rising sun, bake Easter cakes and paint eggs. IN good friday Orthodox Christians abstained from food, fervently prayed to the Lord and did not do any housework, devoting everything to free time prayer.
After the consecration of Easter, the first thing when arriving home was the festive meal. People broke their fast with a blessed Easter cake and an egg. There is a game where people took eggs and smashed them against each other. Anyone whose egg remained intact could count on good year. Such games remain especially popular among children.
As you prepare for the holiday of Easter, remember that your thoughts should remain pure and joyful. You need to think not only about the festive table, but also take care of your soul and once again pray for yourself and your loved ones. After all, everyone is rewarded according to his faith.
Christ is risen!
How to paint eggs for Easter
Easter history and traditions
