Decorated Easter eggs have a long history

RBC I Chances are, most people know the history behind the Easter egg. Regardless of specific religion, the belief and tradition that goes with Easter is unmatched.
The practice of actually decorating the shells of eggs pre-dates Christian traditions. Some ostrich eggs dating back 60,000 years were found in Africa with engraved decorations. The practice of decorating ostrich eggs in gold and silver to place in the graves of ancient Sumerians and Egyptians date back to 5,000 years ago.
The traditional idea of decorating eggs as we know it originated with the early Christians of Mesopotamia. They stained the eggs red as a symbol of the blood of Christ. The custom regarding the use of eggs to symbolize the resurrection was officially adopted in 1610 A.D.
Clearly the dye used and the newer plastic eggs or chocolate eggs have taken the place of the traditional egg.
The idea of the Easter egg may have come about from Lenten tradition. The idea was that households would use up their eggs before Lent began.
In fact, one orthodox church begins their Great Lent on Clean Monday, rather than Ash Wednesday. On that day, they use up their dairy products. During the Lenten period, the chickens continued to produce eggs, hence creating an abundance of eggs by Easter Sunday. Families had to figure out ways to use up their eggs quickly or boil them to make them last longer. In Hungary, a traditional Easter food is sliced boiled eggs in potatoes.
Easter eggs are a popular symbol of new life in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and other European countries.
The celebration of Easter became popular in the United States following the Civil War, with people finding hope and peace in the resurrection. The tradition of the Easter egg hunt and the Easter bunny is believed to have been introduced by immigrants from Germany sharing a tale of the bunny.
Other games include egg tapping in north England, where hard boiled eggs are given to each player and the players hit each other’s eggs, the winner being the one with the last intact egg.
A similar game—egg jarping—is played in parts of Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and parts of Switzerland. There are other games as well, like egg rolling, which has been a tradition at the White House every year for 136 years.
Each traditional game or celebration has one very important aspect in common. They share the very symbolic meaning surrounding Easter and they give the opportunity to share the warmth and joy of the season with family and friends.
It makes no difference the specific religion, it matters only that time is taken to celebrate hope.
Floyd W. Tomkins said, “Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness.”