The Origins and History of Easter Eggs: Dept 56 and Much More

Department 56 villages bring to life our Easter traditions.  We find churches, parishioners, Easter bunnies, Easter egg hunts, chocolate eggs, and so much more.  To appreciate these traditions more fully, I have explored various theories on the symbolism and history of eggs, particularly Easter eggs, in our western culture.  From a myriad of internet sources, I have teased out some information that strikes me as plausible, as well as interesting.

Persepolis,
National Geographic

Zoroastrians and Persepolis  The earliest indications of the use of ceremoial eggs may date from the Zoroastrians in Persia, which is modern-day Iran, in the 6th century BCE.  Sculptures of people carrying eggs can be found on the walls of Persepolis, which was an ancient Persian city about 40 miles northeaster of present-day Shiraz, Iran.  The painted eggs were for the king to celebrate Nowrooz, their New Years celebration, which fell on the spring equinox.

Dept 56, Christmas in the City,
"Central Synagogue," 56. 59204

Jewish Traditions  During the Seder meal for Passover, Jews serve a hard-boiled egg.  According to several sources, the egg symbolizes 1) the sacrifice brought by the Hebrews to the Temple in Jerusalem in biblical times, and 2) the mourning for the destruction of the Temple in both the 6th century BCE and the 1st century AD.  For these reasons, the egg also became a traditional food for those in mourning.  For more information, go to this link:  http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/passover/faq/seder-plate.html

St. Bede the Venerable

Eostre and Gregory the Great  In the 7th century, an English monk, given the name of the Venerable Bede, wrote a text called "The Reckoning of Time," (Temporum Ratione).  It was about the solar and lunar cycles, and included a chapter on "months," or times of the moon.  According to Bede, April was called Eosturmonath,  named after the goddess of fertility, Eostre. www.manygods.org.uk/articles/essays/Eostre.shtml

Pope Gregory the Great

The symbol of Eostre was said to be an egg, which was associated with fertility.  Pope Gregory the Great, who created the goal to convert the English Isles, wrote in the 6th century that pagan rituals should be adapted to the "praise of God," rather than dismissed.  It is not a stretch to believe that Irish pagan customs concerning eggs were absorbed into Christian culture, just as Christmas trees were adopted from non-Christian sources.

Dept 56, Christmas in the City,
"Cathedral of St. Nicholas," 56.59248

Christian Egg Traditions  In Orthodox traditions, eggs are frequently dyed red to represent the blood of Christ.

Icon of Mary Magdalen,
with words on the red egg,
"Christ is Risen"

This practice may be based on a legend that Mary Magdalen met with the Emperor Tiberius in Rome to tell him about Jesus and the Resurrection, offering him an egg as a symbol of this event.  Scornfully Tiberius  protested that a man could no more rise from the dead than that egg could turn scarlet.  As he said it, legend says that the egg turned red in Mary Magdalen's hands.  Frequently, images of her will include a red egg.

Dept 56, Snow Village,
"Happy Easter Church," 56.55325

For Western Christians, the egg symbolizes a complex of simple, but very profound ideas, probably adopted from many religions and cultures:  potential; rebirth; hope; resurrection;  renewal; metamorphosis from one life to another; rejuvenation.  Another author adds a further level of symbolism:  "...the egg represents the Creation, the elements, and the world itself, with the shell representing the firmament, the vault of the sky where the fiery stars lie; the thin membrane symbolizing air; the white symbolizing the waters; and the yolk representing the earth."   http://www.fisheaters.com/symbols.html

In my next blog I will take you on a tour of Easter eggs, painted, sculpted, wired and embroidered!