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Easter Bunnies & Christian Tradition |
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Easter Bunnies & Christian Tradition |
Easter eggs and Easter bunnies both symbolize fertility and new life. Perhaps the Easter egg is the most identifiable symbol of springtime and Easter. As a symbol of new life, egg decorating dates back to primitive times in many cultures and civilizations. Even though the egg is not an exclusive Christian artform for Spring, its significance relates to a rebirth in Springtime that is associated with the death and resurrection of Christ. For a comment on the orthodox custom of egg decoration and gift-giving see http://www.cygnus.uwa.edu.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Eggs.htm.
Easter eggs have been painted with bright colors to represent the bright sunlight of spring. They have traditionally been given by lovers and romantic admirers (similar to Valentines). In medieval times, eggs were given to the servants at Easter. In Germany, eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts.
Different cultures have developed their own unique ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honor the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece. Armenians decorate hollow eggs with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious designs. Green eggs are decorated and exchanged in Germany and Austria on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday - the day of the crucifixion). Slavic peoples decorate eggs in special patterns of gold and silver. Poles and Ukranians decorate with simple designs and colors. A much more intricate pattern of decoration is achieved with a Ukrainian method, called pysanky. Similar to batik, patterns are drawn on the egg with wax and the pattern is built by sequentially dying the eggs with darker and darker dyes. Those layers that have been "written" with wax retain the previous color of stain, while areas that are exposed pick up the next color of dye. Pysanki eggs can be masterpieces of skill and artistry. See http://www.cs.unc.edu/~yakowenk/pysanky/index.html for a delightful collection of egg patterns.
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If you look carefully at these eggs, you can decipher the order of wax painting and dying. The areas that are white were waxed first, then the eggs were dyed yellow. The areas that are yellow were waxed second, then the eggs were dyed green. The green areas were waxed and the eggs were dyed red. Finally, the red areas were waxed and the eggs were dyed black. The artist has to think and paint backwards in order to create the pattern in a sort of reverse (negative) sequence. |
Those of us who have been raised in the Christian tradition commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ in Spring. So, the dying of eggs celebrates more than just the rebirth of the natural world in the amazing cycle of life that we see in the animals and plants around us. The symbolic rebirth elaborately painted into Easter eggs also celebrates our spiritual rebirth.
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