Decorating Easter Eggs

No one knows when the practice of decorating Easter eggs began, but it’s easy to understand why it began. Spring is a time of renewed life, and the brilliant colors and designs of Easter eggs joyfully communicate the spirit of this season.

Easter egg decorating legends

Uncertainty about the origins of Easter egg decorations hasn’t prevented the creation of explanatory legends. The egg was an ancient symbol of the universe in cultures as diverse as Rome, China, and Egypt. Many of the anecdotes explaining why we decorate Easter eggs were created later in time by Christians to give religious significance to the tradition.

One story has it that Christ’s mother Mary gave eggs to the Roman soldiers at the crucifixion, and as her tears fell on the eggs, they transformed into brilliant colors.

Two other Easter egg decorating legends involve Mary Magdalene. The first is that when she went to anoint the body of Jesus in the sepulcher, the eggs she was carrying in a basket became miraculously colorful. Another story makes this egg coloring more purposeful, claiming that Magdalene preached to the Emperor of Rome after giving him a red egg representing Christ’s blood and resurrection.

Easter egg decorating methods

Along with these oral traditions, there are many interesting decorative traditions involving Easter eggs. Decorating Easter eggs is an ancient tradition in the Ukraine, where such eggs are known as pysanka, or collectively, pysanky or pysankas. Pysanka designs are written with beeswax, yielding highly ornate and intricate Easter egg decorations.

Decorating Easter eggs at home likely won’t approach the artistry of pysankas, but there are many innovative ways in which Easter eggs can be colored. Achieve a speckled or polka dot look by covering Easter eggs with small stickers before dipping them in dye. Purchase a few paint pens from an arts and crafts store, and you’ll be able to illustrate your Easter eggs with whatever images or words you desire.

More information on Easter decorations