Painted Easter eggs sit on display for sale at the annual Sorbian Easter market on March 16, 2013 in Schleife, Germany. Easter is a particularly important time of year for Sorbs, a Slavic minority in eastern Germany, and the period includes the tradition of painting Easter eggs that include visual elements intended to ward off evil. Many Sorbs still speak Sorbian, a language closely related to Polish and Czech. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
However, the tradition of painting hard-boiled eggs during springtime pre-dates Christianity. In many cultures around the world, the egg is a symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. For thousands of years, Iranians and others have decorated eggs on Nowruz, the Iranian New Year that falls on the spring equinox.
Some claim that the Easter egg has pagan roots. According to this website, even the word Easter is said to have to come to us from the “Norsemen’s Eostur, Eastar, Ostara, and Ostar, and the pagan goddess Eostre, all of which involve the season of the growing sun and new birth”
For Christians, the Easter egg is symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Painting Easter eggs is an especially beloved tradition in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches where the eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. Easter eggs are blessed by the priest at the end of the Paschal vigil and distributed to the congregants. The hard shell of the egg represents the sealed Tomb of Christ, and cracking the shell represents Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Moreover, historically Christians would abstain from eating eggs and meat during Lent, and Easter was the first chance to eat eggs after a long period of abstinence. (Orthodox Christians continue to abstain from eggs during Lent.)
Easter egg hunts and egg rolling are two popular egg-related traditions. An egg hunt involves hiding eggs outside for children to run around and find on Easter morning. Eggs are rolled as a symbolic re-enactment of the rolling away of the stone from Christ’s tomb. In the United States, the Easter Egg Roll is an annual event that is held on the White House lawn each Monday after Easter.
Check out these beautifully painted Easter Eggs!
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Brightly decorated eggs, Easter egg rolling and Easter egg hunts have become integral to the celebration of Easter today.
However, the tradition of painti...
Brightly decorated eggs, Easter egg rolling and Easter egg hunts have become integral to the celebration of Easter today.
However, the tradition of painti...
Brightly decorated eggs, Easter egg rolling and Easter egg hunts have become integral to the celebration of Easter today. For Christians, the Easter egg...
Easter egg manufacturers have not gone far enough to reduce packaging and improve recyclability, a report has concluded. The annual survey by Liberal Democrat MP...
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - An annual Easter egg hunt attended by hundreds of children has been cancelled because of misbehaviour last year. Not by the...
Easter is a perfect holiday -- it brings together many of my favorite things: candy, exercise (of the lighter variety), flowers, cute animals and politics. Yes, politics!
In early Christian communities, Easter was the day when, normally, all new Christians were baptized, and it was the deepest spiritual experience most of them would ever have.
The use of the egg in Easter is primarily meant to represent rebirth, which doesn't really make sense to me. When I think of eggs I think more along the lines of mystery. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Is Jesus the egg? Does that make God a chicken?
From Pancake Day, 200 giant and uniquely crafted Easter eggs have been smuggled into a variety of locations for 'The Fabergè Big Egg Hunt'. The eggs have been strategically placed throughout the capital, each designed by the world's leading artists, architects, designers and jewellers. Each egg therefore represents a unique moment to be discovered.
People complain that the White House Egg Roll invitation extended to the gay and lesbian families is just a symbolic gesture, but symbols are powerful.
It didn't take long for others to add new endings, endings where Jesus did appear to Mary Magdalene and finally to the 11 disciples. Those endings are usually printed in italics or in brackets in most Bibles.
In the weeks before Easter, during the traditional season of Lent, Christians fix their hearts on the death of Jesus Christ. They reflect upon what he endured because they believe that it was redemptive.
I left the church as a teenager on less than good terms. My youth leader threw a Bible at me for persisting with my questions. Fortunately, I found a new community that represented something different.
In my view, Easter and Jesus the Christ have nothing in common. In other words: Jesus has nothing to do with Easter. Though it's not publicly known as yet, Christians may from now on celebrate their unique and ONLY feast after sunset on March 24 every year, whichever day of the week it may fall on. More info available at http://articles.faithwriters.com/reprint-article-details.php?article=19070 and http://articles.faithwriters.com/reprint-article-details.php?article=16869. Well, I know it's hard to break with deep-rooted beliefs and traditions, but it's never too late. Sorry for intervening. Blessings to you, Sandor, from over here:-)
balogsandor: In my view, Easter and Jesus the Christ have nothing
This is the thing that I find most interesting about Easter time. So many people go about thinking that the day is all about Jesus and his resurrection without realizing that the way in which they celebrate, to include the eggs, the baskets, and even the ham and hot cross buns that are usually served are all from Pagan traditions. Christianity is a borrowed religion. Even the resurrection story is not something new. Many deities have resurrection stories. Read about them. The one that comes to mind is the Sumerian resurrection story of the goddess Inanna. She was hung in her sisters hall for many days and nights until her father finally took pity on her and sent two servants he made from dust to ask her sister, Ereskigal, to pity her and release her. She did, and when Inanna returned she told her female servant to spread the word (hmm..Mary Magdalene anyone?). Upon her return winter ended and life returned.
bluespagan: This is the thing that I find most interesting about
Not so much borrowed as syncretic, which I believe most, if not all, contemporary religions are -- syncretic. "the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought." Incorporating the festival practices of the native people Christians sought to convert evidently seemed the best way to get the locals on board. Christmas trees; Yule logs; bunnies sacred to Ostara, goddess of spring and fertility; eggs -- the list goes on.
alineobrien: Not so much borrowed as syncretic, which I believe most,
The egg and the rabbit are symbols of prolific breeding. Heck they even used to use rabbits to test for the HCg presence in a woman's urine. The rabbit is sacrificed to the fertility godess.
Gpiano88: The egg and the rabbit are symbols of prolific breeding.
Nor is it a coincidence; it was smart planning on the part of the early church. If one assumes that Jesus was indeed crucified at Passover, then lumping that event in with spring rites would be a brilliant maneuver to help "fix" the new religion atop the old ones.
cherylhaass: Nor is it a coincidence; it was smart planning on
What does making eggs look artistically colorful have to do with "true" Christianity or helping people to become significantly better ? I don't think so.
iLdoRight: What does making eggs look artistically colorful have to do
If you think letting children see some indication that "Christianity" is just a mumbo jumbo bunch of deceptions and hypocritical activities and beliefs so they can learn to pretend anything they want to and don't see the damage in that and "fun" is your only objective, well I feel sorry for you.
iLdoRight: If you think letting children see some indication that "Christianity"
You'd love the joke I made to my mom last year! We were at the grocery store, and I saw her get excited because they had purple Peeps there. She said she liked that color best, and without missing a beat, I asked her "So does that make you a Purple Peeple Eater?" She just cracked up at that one!
(For those of you who didn't understand the joke, I was lampooning the song "One Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater.")
dragondancer1814: You'd love the joke I made to my mom last
In Robert Graves, Greek Mythology (vol.1 - I think) - he writes about an ancient Greek relief or illustration (it's been a while since I read it) - anyway, the image was of Theseus ascending from his visit to the underworld bearing an egg in his hand. (same idea; egg meaning rebirth after death) So Theseus was a bit of a grandfather to the Easter Bunny, too.
sectpt: In Robert Graves, Greek Mythology (vol.1 - I think) -
REAL Christians should reject pagan traditions like "Easter" eggs, yule logs, Christmas trees, mistletoe, etc....heck Jesus wasn't even born on Dec. 25th. I know it's very hard because this has all become so ingrained in our culture. Friggin' Masons.....
dagacheme: REAL Christians should reject pagan traditions like "Easter" eggs, yule
Christianity has always been a pragmatic religion. They have "borrowed" elements from other religions for two thousand years. Why should they reject these elements now, after centuries of weaving them into the rituals of Christianity?
thorrsman: Christianity has always been a pragmatic religion. They have "borrowed"
And that is precisely the reason why god allowed ancient Jerusalem to be sacked and razed to the ground, and its inhabitants killed or carried away as slaves, first by the Babilonians, and then by the Romans, - because they disobeyed direct orders against incorporating pagan beliefs and practices.
Seems some people just never learn from past experiences.
tamazul: And that is precisely the reason why god allowed ancient
"Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman, called a disciple of Christ, and was the first person to whom Christ appeared the morning after his resurrection. She worked to spread the gospel after his ascension to Heaven, and through her influence, obtained an invitation to the dinner table of Tiberius Caesar in Rome. Illustrating to Caesar that Christ had risen from the dead, she picked up an egg from the table. The egg had long been a symbol for rebirth. Caesar laughed at her claiming that a person rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand changing color. Before he finished speaking, the egg turned a bright red"
I copied and pasted this for you. The author of this article seemd to have left this story out. You are welcome to look this up, and to be honest this story should be taught everywhere in the churches. Afterall, she was considered a disciple of Yehsua, and very important one at that.
ExcuseMeMister: "Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman, called a disciple of
This is an Eastern Orthodox teaching and is found no where in the Bible.
The egg is a symbol of fertility and directly linked to multiple fertility goddesses that were celebrated around the spring solstice and Easter time. Eostere was one of them and the upcoming celebration is known as Ostara. As for red, red is another color that is linkd with fertility since it symbolizes menstrual blood.
Once again, almost everything Christians hold to be their own is simply borrowed from other religions.
bluespagan: This is an Eastern Orthodox teaching and is found no
I don't care where it comes from. I like it. If Romney became president (fat chance) would he still allow easter egg hunts at the White House? Maybe he would replace it with "treasure seeking".
NRMLUNIT: I don't care where it comes from. I like it.
That picture looks like the pysanky eggs I used to make with my neighbor who was from Lithuania! I remember when she gave me a kit as a gift with the beeswax and kistkas and dyes. It was so interesting learning all the meanings of the symbols and colors, and traditions in her culture. I once made a dozen of them as part of a wedding present for a friend. I also remember when the first eggs I made, that were evidently not properly cleaned, exploded in our living room on a hot summer day and the horrible stench. Always clean your pysanky eggs *thoroughly* or you'll be sorry! :-)
Hlynn: That picture looks like the pysanky eggs I used to
"When wicked and unprincipled persons have gone on in a course of sin to the degree that they can scarcely hope for pardon and find that they have reason to fear the just judgment of God for their sins, they begin at first to wish that there were no God to punish them, which they think would be in their best interests. And so, by degrees, they come to persuade themselves that there is no God. Then they determine to find arguments to back their opinion in order to prove what they are willing to believe."
jcshiloh: "When wicked and unprincipled persons have gone on in a
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The Huffington Post | By Jahnabi Barooah Posted: 04/02/2012 7:28 am EDT | Updated: 03/31/2013 1:26 am EDT