http://www.thedailybrad.com/anglo-saxon/
Easter Eggs Are Easter Symbols
The collection and coloring of Easter eggs has been practiced in conjunction with spring festivals for a very long time. But between the two, Easter and the colored eggs, it might surprise people to know that the decorated eggs historically came first. It's understandable that they would be recognized as a symbol of fertility, and since spring is the season of the greatest fertility, eggs have been used in spring celebrations since very ancient times. The history of Easter as a Christian celebration came later, absorbing the colored eggs as part of its symbolism.
Recognizing the life-giving property of eggs, myths and legends of the past probably have some bearing on the use of Easter eggs today. Many ancient cultures had myths, in fact, that claimed the world itself was created from an originating egg. You can find this sort of origin story in places like China, India and Egypt, and eggs also appear to be associated with an Anglo-Saxon festival for the fertility goddess Eostre. The meaning of Easter, signifying new life and symbolized by the egg, seems to be a continuation of many similar ancient traditions.
Even when Christianity adopted eggs as one of the symbols for its own spring celebration, the practices that evolved for their use varied greatly, depending on the sect of the church and the culture in which it was found. In the vast eastern branches of both the Catholic and the Orthodox Church, for example, the outside of the egg is often painted red, as a symbol of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. As the shell cracks, this signifies the opening of the tomb, and the egg inside stands for the new resurrected life.
Over time, Easter eggs have been largely secularized, not always carrying a spiritual connotation. In Imperial Russia, the House of Faberge created stunning jeweled eggs, the miniatures to wear around the neck during Easter celebrations and larger, more intricate ones for lavish display. Slavic cultures have turned eggs into canvases for brilliant and colorfully painted designs. Eggs began as pagan symbols, were adopted as Christian symbol Easter eggs, and now may have veered away again. They still have some spiritual significance, but have largely become either works of art in their own right, or simply objects of fun for children.
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Anglo-Saxon - The History of English (1/10)
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