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The Easter egg is venerable indeed. While the gaily colored cardboard
ones and rich chocolate ones that we enjoy are quite recent in origin,
the real egg, decorated with colors or gilt, has been acknowledged as a
symbol of continuing life and resurrection since pre-Christian spring
celebrations. Given as gifts by the ancient Greeks, Persians, and
Chinese at their spring festivals, the egg also appears in pagan
mythology, where we read of the Sun-Bird being hatched from the World
Egg. in some pagan customs, the Heaven and Earth were thought to |
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have
been formed from two halves of an egg. As the egg was an obvious symbol
to early Christians of Jesus' Resurrection, it was felt to be a most
appropriate and holy part of the Eastertide celebration. Even as early
as the Middle Ages, eggs were colored to be given as gifts at Easter;
Edward I's accounts for 1290 include the expense of purchasing hundreds
of eggs to be distributed to his household. in the 17th century, pope
Paul V blessed the humble egg in a prayer to be used in England,
Scotland, and Ireland: "Bless, O |
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Lord, we beseech Thee, this Thy
creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance to Thy
faithful servants, eating in thankfulness to Thee, on account of the
Resurrection of Our Lord." Forbidden during the solemn fast of
Lent, eggs were reintroduced on Easter Sunday, both as part of the
feasting and as gifts for family, friends, and servants.
Anonymous (1913)
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