- Easter traditions predate the story of Jesus in Christianity, going back to pagan beliefs about fertility and renewal
- Do you look forward to Easter egg hunts and egg rolling?
Are you egg-cited for Easter? Photo: ShutterstockWhile many people associate Easter with Christian religious traditions, the holiday actually goes back further than that. It likely began as a pagan celebration in Germanic cultures to mark the spring equinox and honour the goddess “Eastre”. This festive time, marked by principles like fertility and renewal, was later intertwined with Christian beliefs, specifically the resurrection of Jesus.
Eggs have long been a part of the celebrations, too. Many cultures see eggs as a symbol of rebirth and renewal; for example, a chick hatching from an egg to enter the world. Christians use them to remember how Jesus rose back to life, while Jews place hard-boiled eggs on a ceremonial plate for Passover to represent mourning, rebirth, and the continuation of life. Even in a non-religious context, eggs represent the new life that blooms in the spring.
Whether you’re joining an Easter egg hunt or simply eating them, this colourful holiday is a vibrant tapestry of customs to egg-splore. Here are the stories behind a few egg-citing Easter traditions.
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Easter egg hunts
One of the earliest Easter egg hunts dates back to the 16th century when Martin Luther, the German priest who led the Protestant Reformation that would eventually split Christianity into several different sects, organised egg hunts for the women and children in his congregation to find. This was a nod to the fact that in the Bible, it was women who discovered Jesus’ empty tomb after he had risen from the dead.
Nowadays, Easter egg hunts usually use plastic eggs containing snacks like jelly beans or small toys instead of regular eggs.
Colourful eggs
If you are decorating and dyeing Easter eggs with your favourite colours and patterns, you are actually engaging in an ancient practice. Scientists have discovered decorated ostrich eggs in South Africa that date back 65,000 to 55,000 years! In Mesopotamia, early Christians dyed eggs red to symbolise the blood of Christ. Churches in western Europe later adopted this tradition, and it soon became popular.
While you may use a special egg-dyeing kit to colour your eggs today, people in the past used things like beets, spinach and onion skins: yellow onions to create a reddish brown colour and red onions for a light blue.
Chocolate delights
Chocolate eggs are synonymous with Easter; in fact, between 80-90 million chocolate eggs are sold each year in the UK.
Of course, chocolate is delicious, which is why so many people gobble them up. But it also contains a chemical called tryptophan, which helps our brains produce serotonin and lifts our spirits.
On the grand scale of traditions, chocolate eggs are relatively new.
The first chocolate Easter eggs appeared in Europe in the early 19th Century in France and Germany. John Cadbury, the founder of the world-famous chocolate company, made his first ‘French eating chocolate’ in 1842, but it was not until 1875 that the first Cadbury Easter eggs were made.
Egg tapping
Egg tapping is a simple, traditional Easter game that originated in Medieval Europe and is still popular in Western countries. Players hit their eggs against each other, bottom-to-bottom and top-to-top, until everyone’s eggs are cracked except for one winner, who is left with an unbroken egg. According to tradition, cracking the eggs symbolises the wish to break away from the bonds of sin and misery and enter the new life promised by Christ’s resurrection.
Like a rolling stone (or egg)
Egg tapping is not the only egg-related Easter game. There is also egg rolling, in which players roll eggs across a lawn using a spoon or paddle. The White House – the residence of the US president – hosted its first Easter egg rolling competition in 1878, and the tradition continues to this day. It symbolises rolling away the stone that encased Jesus in his tomb.
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Egg dancing
One of the earliest references to egg dancing comes from 1498. The story says that Archduchess Margaret of Austria and Philibert II, Duke of Savoy were made to dance together three times through one hundred eggs without breaking any before they were allowed to get married. In Britain, participants were blindfolded, making the dance even more challenging.
Two versions of egg dancing are popular today. The first involves dancing around eggs on the ground while trying not to damage them. Both chocolate and hard-boiled eggs can be used.
Another version is to draw a chalk circle filled with small obstacles and place a bowl with an egg inside the circle. While standing inside the circle, the player must complete two tasks: use their feet to remove the egg from the bowl and place the bowl upside down on top of the egg. It’s certainly a challenge!