The legends around eggs’ Easter connection, from rebirth symbolism to restrictions on meat

Did Easter always include eggs?

Not always. Traditionally, items such as hot cross buns, which are sweet and fruity loaves of bread baked to feature the shape of a cross, and lamb-based dishes were eaten around this time of the year. The egg supposedly became a part of Easter in and around the 13th century.

It is believed that its use was borrowed from several Pagan traditions, meaning religions which preceded the major faiths we know today. Easter is also preceded by a 40-day period known as Lent, in which Christians often pray and fast. They may give up something dear to them or a bad habit. It is linked to the belief that Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan.

Additionally, the date for celebrating Easter is fixed based on the full Moon. It is generally observed in either March or April, leading to its association with the onset of Spring – a season symbolising growth and rebirth in nature.

Eggs were seen as a symbol of fertility and birth, and they were befitting a festival commemorating the resurrection of Christ.

Why are eggs decorated on Easter?

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Because the Christian church did not allow meat or animal-derived products, like eggs, to be eaten during Holy Week, the eggs laid by chickens during this period were instead decorated to identify them as Holy Week eggs that could not be consumed.”

The Holy Week begins on the Sunday before Easter, called Palm Sunday. It marks Jesus’ reaching Jerusalem, where his followers greeted him by waving palm leaves. Over the course of the week leading up to Easter, each day marks a particular event derived from Biblical events, such as Holy Wednesday (commemorating Judas’ betrayal of Christ) and Maundy Thursday (recalling Christ’s Last Supper with his disciples).

An article in The Conversation notes: “It’s not known exactly when people started to decorate their eggs, but research has pointed to the 13th century, when King Edward I gave his courtiers eggs wrapped in gold leaf.” Natural dyes such as beetroot were used to decorate the eggs. In England, flower petals were also part of the decoration.

In a unique 50-year-old tradition, the French city of Bessières celebrates the Fête de l’Omelette Géante (festival of the giant omelette) annually as part of a three-day festival on Easter. Around 15,000 eggs are used to make an omelette that can feed thousands of people.

And where do chocolate eggs on Easter come from?

Chocolate was unknown to Europe until the 17th century, when it was brought from Central and South America. The Conversation says: “In 1669, the Earl of Sandwich paid £227 – the equivalent of around £32,000 today – for a chocolate recipe from King Charles II.”

Initially, chocolate was known as a drink, consumed with some spices. It remained inaccessible and expensive for long, but by the 20th century, supermarkets helped bring it to the people at low prices in the UK.

Britannica says that another Easter fixture, of kids hunting for hidden Easter eggs, dates back to around the 16th century. “Martin Luther, a Protestant reformer, organized the activity where men would hide eggs for women and children to find.”

It was meant to serve as a “loose reenactment of the Resurrection” when women found Christ’s tomb empty after his crucifixion. To symbolise this, some hollowed-out shells are also placed along with the real prizes – the chocolate eggs.