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The
Egg:
a
Universal Easter Symbol
By
Betty Leardi
The
joy and hope of Easter Resurrection has been symbolized
for centuries by lambs, rabbits, lilies and crosses.
The simple egg, however is perhaps the oldest and
most universal symbol of rebirth and new life. The
custom of offering Easter eggs, either chocolate
or hard boiled and coloured, dates back well beyond
the early years of Christianity to the most ancient
pagan traditions.
Egyptians
and Persians would dye eggs in spring colours and
give them to friends as a symbol of renewed life
long before Christ was born. The myths of several
Eastern and middle Eastern cultures maintain that
the earth itself was hatched from a giant egg.
Polish
legend has it that on the first Good Friday, a man
taking a basket of eggs to market to sell, put the
basket down and ran to help Christ carry the cross.
When he returned, the eggs were supposedly decorated
in beautiful colours and designs, hence the Polish
tradition of ‘Pisnaki’ decorated eggs.
Other Eastern Europeans, Czechs, Romanians and Ukrainians
followed this tradition. Some of the designs have
significant meaning and have been handed down in
families from generation to generation. The eggs
are always included in the food basket taken to
church for the traditional Easter Saturday blessing.
The
art of making Ukrainian Easter eggs dates back many
years, but in approximately 988 A.D. is when the
Ukrainians accepted Christianity, and that’s
when the egg’s symbol took on a different
meaning. According to Ukrainian legend, people decorated
eggs believing that great powers were embodied in
the egg. To them, eggs symbolized the release of
the earth from the shackles of winter and the coming
of spring with its promises of new hope, new life
and prosperity, and that as long as ‘pysanky’
were decorated, goodness would prevail over evil
throughout the world.
Many
ancient Ukrainians believed the eggs possessed magical
powers and that wealth could be obtained by decorating
the eggs with certain symbols. When Christianity
was introduced into the Ukraine, the symbols changed
and others were added to reflect Christianity, the
Resurrection and a promise of eternal life. Making
pysanky became a Lenten ritual in the Ukraine. A
family produced many eggs during this time to be
shared with friends and family and the local priest.
Some were planted or placed in the fields or feeding
troughs to insure a wealth or abundance in their
crops and livelihood. Some were placed by the family
graves or placed in the coffins out of respect for
their loved ones, and others were kept in the home
for protection. Before they would begin to create
the pysanky, they would pray “God help me”
and they also prayed that the person who received
the eggs would be given joy, good fortune, happiness
and protection from harm.
~~~
Other
symbols representative of Easter are not as commercial
or as recent as you might think. In fact, their
long history may even surprise you!
Wearing
new clothes at Easter was an external expression
of early Christian faith. Followers who were baptized
during Easter wore a white robe as a symbol of new
life.
Parades
evolved out of an ancient European custom from the
Middle Ages. Tradition held that following Easter
mass, people walk together in a procession through
the streets, usually led by someone carrying a crucifix.
Of
course, we are all familiar with the rabbit, a symbol
of fertility. The origin of the Easter Bunny seems
to stem from a German fable popular in the late
1500’s. It was said that a rabbit laid eggs
on Holy Thursday and multi-coloured eggs the night
before Easter Sunday.
The
lily is a symbol of purity as it is white and extremely
delicate. White trumpet lilies which bloom at Easter,
did not actually grow in North America until about
100 years ago when they were brought here from Bermuda.
Lambs
represent new life and are also an ancient Christian
symbol dating back to the 7th century. Since the
9th century, when the Catholic Pope popularized
the practice, it has been customary in many traditions,
to serve lamb at the Easter feast.
Bread
too is a traditional part of the Easter feast. In
Russia, a round loaf called Paska is prepared, while
German tradition involves the making of Osterstollen
loaves. Polish Easter cake is called Baba Wielancona,
and an Italian custom involves making sweet bread
in the shape of a chick, bunny or doll to give as
gifts, especially to the children in the family.
And
finally, the Easter basket is a Catholic custom.
Baskets filled with bread, cheese, ham and other
foods for Easter dinner were taken to mass Easter
morning to be blessed. This later evolved into filling
baskets with chocolate eggs and candies for children.
The
following verse expresses what many of us are feeling,
in light of the extreme winter we have just experienced.
Easter, always a sign of the anticipation of Spring,
has just finished but the message lingers.
EASTERTIME
By Anne Campbell
March
26, 1948
The
world is ready for the Spring,
The
winter has been long and cold.
The
birds will soon fly home to sing
Of
April glories they behold.
The
world has need of Eastertide.
It
has been plunged in Lenten gloom.
But
now upon the countryside,
The
bashful crocuses will bloom.
