Along with ham, Easter baskets, and perfectly pressed pastel outfits is the Easter egg. Dyeing eggs and Easter egg hunts are traditional ways that many celebrate Easter today.
All of us here appreciate a little history of time-honored traditions, so when I started doing more research to share with you, I was delighted! Easter eggs and Easter egg hunts are not merely a commercialized way of celebrating, but are actually rooted in the practices of early Christians in Easter customs. So, although these traditions are great fun and often make for the sweetest of memories when there are little ones in your life, there is a deeper meaning to them as well.
The Easter egg is symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the pivotal event for which we celebrate Easter. The hard shell represents the sealed tomb, and the cracking of the egg represents Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
In early Orthodox churches, Easter eggs were handed out during the church service. According to an article from Chase Oaks Church, early Christians abstained from eating eggs and meat during Lent, a period of 40 days where Christians fast, repent, and pray to prepare for Easter. Therefore, Easter was the first day Christians could resume eating eggs. From these practices, Christians then developed the traditions we still partake in today!
At first, eggs were dyed red by the early Christians of Mesopotamia to represent the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross. This tradition was later picked up by Catholic and Protestant churches in Europe. Early missionaries also used dyed eggs to tell the Easter story to those who had never heard it. They used yellow to represent the resurrection, blue to represent love, and red to represent the blood of Christ.
Easter Egg Hunt
Easter egg hunts were invented to help children learn about Easter. Those same missionaries would paint biblical scenes on the eggs and hide them for children to find. Now, many hide goodies inside plastic eggs for children. When children open their egg and find a surprise inside, it is symbolic of the surprise and delight of those who discovered the empty tomb! This is a beautiful chance to teach children about the pure joy that comes upon hearing the Good News that Christ defeated death with resurrection, all because he loves us!