Author Topic: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs? (Read 759 times)

Nadir · « **on:** April 17, 2017, 01:30:15 AM »

What do people here think about giving children / each other Easter eggs?

Nadir · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2017, 05:26:41 AM »

What is your opinion? As a child it was very low key and our parents did not buy us easter eggs and we did not feel at all deprived.

We never has any part in it with our children and I don't think they suffered from the lack.

I personally cannot see any connection between chocolate eggs and Easter. What do others think?

Dolores · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2017, 06:55:10 AM »

We make chocolate Easter eggs, and color hard-boiled eggs. Seems like a harmless and fun tradition, akin to making Christmas cookies and decorating a Christmas tree.

nctradcath · « **Reply #3 on:** April 17, 2017, 09:27:08 AM »

My priest related that an Easter Eggs hunt was akin to searching For Jesus who is no longer in the tomb and is resurrected. It is a fun custom for children after Lenten sacrafices. To argue against it smacks of some sort of weird Jansenism. I say this as someone who doesn't believe in modern Halloween.

nctradcath · « **Reply #4 on:** April 17, 2017, 09:30:17 AM »

We have a joyful faith with every reason on Easter. Legitimate fun with parish families like Easter Egg hunts should be encouraged. Nadir, I completely understand the desire to root out evil from children's lives, but this is not an evil. Happy Easter,

Jesus and Mary,
David

Ladislaus · « **Reply #5 on:** April 17, 2017, 10:23:41 AM »

Completely harmless. While my younger ones use the PAAS dyes, the older ones now make elaborate Ukrianian-style Easter eggs. Those are rich with Christian symbolism; in fact, various colors and symbols mean very specific things, and you give them to people to depict the sentiments expressed on them and not just randomly for decoration. They're almost as rich in symbolic meaning as icons.

Matthew · « **Reply #6 on:** April 17, 2017, 10:25:43 AM »

Easter Eggs are 100% Catholic, or the Trad Catholic equivalent of the Jewish "kosher".

A) the egg is a "type" or symbol of the Resurrection -- it seems lifeless (dead), but behold new life comes from it (a chick). In the olden days, ALL eggs came from private flocks of chickens, which usually had at least one rooster: the eggs were fertile. If you incubated one, it could hatch. Factory farms only came about in the last 70 years.

B) Seeking the eggs is a reminder of how the disciples and Mary sought for Christ, Who they thought was dead but was actually alive.

C) It is a Christian/Catholic tradition

D) The mind of the Church is to celebrate on Easter. It is the greatest feast day of the whole 365-day year. Even Christmas is only #2, and Pentecost is #3. Songs, parties, joy, mirth, and any good clean Catholic fun is the order of the day for Easter and the octave (8 days) which follows it.

E) The idea of squashing any good Catholic custom -- or any approved, clean fun -- which is not strictly liturgical does, indeed, sound like Jansenism. We are not Quakers or sour-faced Calvinists, or the Catholic equivalent which is Jansenists. Virtually all formerly Catholic countries (Poland, Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, etc.) have customs which sprung from the Catholic beliefs of the population. And not just Western countries, but the entire Eastern part of the Catholic Church as well. Look at how these Old World countries used to celebrate feast days! They knew how to party like Catholics.

F) The egg is one of the most nutritionally complete foods. If you could only pick one food to eat for 5 years, and your aim was survival, you would be foolish to choose anything other than eggs. It's fitting that Christ's Resurrection is linked with such a wholesome food. So the egg gives life to those who eat it, even though the egg's own life is sacrificed in the process.

G) The dying of easter eggs is also fitting because you're making the eggs beautiful. Beauty and Truth (the Catholic Faith) go together. Little kids can appreciate how "pretty" the various colors are. God made all those colors. All truth and beauty are from God. Any religious-themed celebration that involves beautiful things is wholesome and of God. It is celebrations and glorifications of ugliness or sin (monsters, certain Halloween customs) that you have to be wary of.

Student of Qi · « **Reply #7 on:** April 17, 2017, 10:34:54 AM »

Let me tell you a bit about the old Germanic usage of Easter eggs:

In the olden days, eggs were a very precious food item. Why? Because eggs contain every nutrient needed for life (except for vitamin C), hence they were a symbol of life.

The tradition is said to go back ancient Persia, where the people would give one another red dyed, hard-boild eggs in their Spring festival. The Christians continued with this custom but put a new symbolic meaning on it. To this day the description is such as:

"The red color stands for the Blood shed for us, the hard shell is the hard rock of the sepulchre and a symbol of death, and the yolk inside represents the life our Lord Jesus Christ has given us.

We break the shell and peel it away to remind us of the Resurrection and Triumph over death, and we eat the egg to partake of the Life and benefits offered us by our Lord and Saviour."

This custom was carried over from the East to Europe, where the painting of eggs also became a most loved tradition. There was also an old custom amongst the German peoples that if a girl took a liking to a particular boy, she would give him more than the standard 1 red egg per person. She just had to hope he took the hint....

Another tradition that developed with the Germanic peoples is the "egg tree," much like a Christmas tree but, it does not have to be a fir tree. It should be a tree bare of leaves and decorated with hollow, decorated eggshells, hung from the branches. They are a truely beautiful sight if you've ever seen them! Some people have giant trees filled with eggs decorated by many previous generations with each new one adding to it... It's simply breath-taking!

I have personally read that the Chinese also made painted eggs to hand out at their spring festivals over 6,000 years ago.

There is a rather long article that covers the history of the distribution of chickens over the globe from what is now China and Taiwan. It also covers the history of Easter eggs but, O don't think it can bbe found on the net, and I'm not going to sit here all day trying to type the whole thing... I'll see what I can do about maybe making a digital scan to post... I can't promise it will be done though, I'm sorry...

Matto · « **Reply #8 on:** April 17, 2017, 12:52:38 PM »

It used to be forbidden to eat eggs during Lent. But chickens do not stop laying eggs during Lent. So what do you do with all those eggs? You boil them so they do not go bad and save them until Easter and then you eat them in celebration. That is my guess as to why Easter eggs are a part of the Easter celebration anyway.

Nadir · « **Reply #9 on:** April 17, 2017, 04:40:28 PM »

Thank you for your responses. Just to reassure you that it is purely out of curiosity and not some form of jansenism that I asked the question. Matto, your response makes a lot of sense. Also I did say chocolate eggs. Decorating your own real, even home laid, eggs does make sense to me although we have never had any part in it.

A joyous Easter season to you all!

Matthew · « **Reply #10 on:** April 17, 2017, 05:09:35 PM »

Quote from: Nadir on April 17, 2017, 04:40:28 PM

Thank you for your responses. Just to reassure you that it is purely out of curiosity and not some form of jansenism that I asked the question. Matto, your response makes a lot of sense. Also I did say chocolate eggs. Decorating your own real, even home laid, eggs does make sense to me although we have never had any part in it.

A joyous Easter season to you all!

For what it's worth, my response wasn't personally aimed at you.
I was speaking more about the position in the abstract, in case any readers were tempted to think such thoughts.

Neil Obstat · « **Reply #11 on:** April 18, 2017, 01:27:41 AM »

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I heard a recorded lecture given by a priest which mentions a tradition practiced in the Eastern Catholic Church.
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Quote

G) The dying of easter eggs is also fitting because you're making the eggs beautiful. Beauty and Truth (the Catholic Faith) go together. Little kids can appreciate how "pretty" the various colors are. God made all those colors. All truth and beauty are from God. Any religious-themed celebration that involves beautiful things is wholesome and of God. It is celebrations and glorifications of ugliness or sin (monsters, certain Halloween customs) that you have to be wary of.

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When I heard the priest's story it had the effect of permanently changing my thought in regards to colored Easter eggs.
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He said that they have a bread-cake made with a cross on top, and in each part of the cross an egg colored red is set into the bread. There are 5 red eggs used in this bread-cake.
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He said it is based on a tradition that says in the 5th Station of the Cross, when Simon of Cyrene is made to help Jesus by carrying His cross for him, that he first set his basket of eggs down on the ground before he took up the cross. They say he was an egg merchant who was carrying eggs into Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When he set his basket down, some drops of Our Lord's blood fell on them, leaving red blood stains.
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People saw this happen, and later the practice of coloring eggs red commemorating the carrying of the cross developed. The priest said that some places even today only use the color red for the eggs, but we are probably more familiar with the use of many different colors and patterns.
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From Wikipedia:

Fabergé egg (Russian: Яйца Фаберже́; yaytsa faberzhe), made with jewels:

(Resurrection theme)
History[edit]
The first Fabergé egg was crafted for Tsar Alexander III, who had decided to give his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna, an Easter egg in 1885, possibly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal. Although there is no official record of the Tsar's inspiration for it, many believe that he was moved by an egg owned by the Empress’s aunt, Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, which had captivated Maria’s imagination in her childhood and of which the Tsar was well aware. Known as the Hen Egg, the very first Fabergé egg is crafted from a foundation of gold. Its opaque white enameled "shell" opens to reveal a matte yellow-gold yolk. This in turn opens to reveal a multicolored gold hen that also opens. The hen contained a minute diamond replica of the imperial crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended, but these last two elements have been lost.^[3]
Maria was so delighted by the gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a "goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown" and commissioned another egg the next year. After that, Peter Carl Fabergé was apparently given complete freedom for the design of future imperial Easter eggs, and their designs became more elaborate. According to Fabergé family lore, not even the Tsar knew what form they would take—the only requirements were that each contain a surprise, and that each be unique. Once Fabergé had approved an initial design, the work was carried out by a team of craftsmen, among them Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström and Erik August Kollin.^{[citation needed]}

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Incredulous · « **Reply #12 on:** April 19, 2017, 09:47:11 PM »

And this is why we know the White House has returned to Christianity.

Neil Obstat · « **Reply #13 on:** April 20, 2017, 09:05:49 PM »

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There is no shortage of images on the Internet for "red easter eggs."

(Greek Orthodox red Easter egg tradition)

(more Greek red Easter eggs, in Greek basket!)

(Russian & Ukranian Easter eggs)

From:
http://guardianlv.com/2014/04/what-you-might-not-know-about-easter-eggs-and-other-traditions/

“Easter” eggs, or more specifically painted eggs, actually predate Christianity. There have been 60,000 year old decorated eggs that have been discovered in Africa, and as early as 3000 B.C., red dyed Persian eggs were given as gifts to honor the first day of spring. Christianity at some point adopted the practice of dying eggs red, retelling the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. The red dye was to represent Christ’s blood shed on the cross, and the egg, cracked open–or “hatched,” on Easter Sunday was meant to symbolize Jesus emerging from the tomb, having been given new life.
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Those who practice Greek Orthodox still follow this historical tradition, which can be dated back to the early Christian church in Mesopotamia. The exact reason the Orthodox Church adopted the tradition is still disputed among the practitioners. The most commonly told story is that since Mary Magdalene, who was Biblically the first to see the empty tomb after Christ’s resurrection, rushed to the Roman emperor to explain what she saw. The emperor told Mary that her story was erroneous and the only way he would believe her is if the eggs in the basket next to him would turn red, which legends say they did instantly. Another story tells the tale of the Virgin Mary offering the guardsmen of her son’s tomb a basket of eggs, so they would treat him with care. Grieving over the loss of her son while preparing the eggs, legend says that Jesus’ mother’s tears turned the eggs red. According to a different variation, an anonymous woman is said to have been doubtful of Christ’s resurrection unless the eggs in her hands turned red, which they did miraculously reforming her doubt.
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The red dye associated with Greek Orthodox traditions comes from boiling the eggs with onion peels. Before contemporary commercial dye products, vegetable peelings, fruit juices, tree bark, and flower petals were used to color eggs, but using these natural products is no longer the most popular preparation. Launching its commercial dissolvable capsules in the 1880s, the PAAS Dye Co. was the first to package dye marketed for Easter egg coloring. Currently, the company claims to annually sell upwards of 10 million kits including dyes, paints, glitter, stickers, and more, which decorate nearly 180 million eggs.
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There are many American Easter traditions, but perhaps one that may be unfamiliar to much of the population is the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, which takes place the Monday after Easter. What makes this event unique is that it is the only time throughout the year that tourists are allowed on the presidential lawn. The gathering was started by Dolly Madison in the early 1800s on the Capitol lawn and later moved to the White House in 1878. Rutherford B. Hayes was president at the time. Presently about 4,000 children attend the Easter Egg Roll, and it is expected for the president to participate as well.
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Commentary by Stacy Feder.
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Quote from: Incredulous on April 19, 2017, 09:47:11 PM

And this is why we know the White House has returned to Christianity.

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I couldn't help but plug this in as the punch line. Thanks.
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Neil Obstat · « **Reply #14 on:** April 20, 2017, 09:21:30 PM »

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Personally, I'm fascinated with the Russian Easter egg-decorating designs, but not being familiar with Russian food, I'd have to give first priority to Greek red Easter eggs, since Greek food is absolutely top-notch IMHO.
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A properly made Greek salad cannot be beat. There's something about the kalamata olives, extra goat Feta cheese, real Greek dressing (with a lot of oregano), diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion, for which there is no substitute.
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So call me prejudiced but I might just add a red Easter egg to the salad. Sliced, that is.
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Author Topic: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs? (Read 759 times)

Nadir

Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Nadir

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Dolores

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

nctradcath

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

nctradcath

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Ladislaus

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Matthew

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Student of Qi

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Matto

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Nadir

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Matthew

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Neil Obstat

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Incredulous

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Neil Obstat

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?

Neil Obstat

Re: Do you "do" "Easter" eggs?