April 24, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Why eggs are dyed for Easter and how to choose the right color

A few days are left until Easter and the hostesses are going to paint eggs, without which it is difficult to imagine an Easter basket. Why are eggs painted and what does each color mean?

This tradition is very ancient. Among the Egyptians, Romans and Persians, the egg was associated with rebirth, therefore, on the bright day of the Resurrection of Christ, it is quite appropriate and takes its rightful place on the festive table. Why are eggs painted? There are several answers to this question. According to one version, the Virgin Mary painted eggs colorfully to amuse her little son.

The most attractive is the second version – Mary Magdalene, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, presented an egg to the Roman emperor Tiberius with the exclamation “Christ is risen!”. To which the emperor objected that just as a white egg cannot turn red, so no one can be resurrected. However, after the words of the Roman, the egg instantly turned red, as if symbolizing with a bright color the blood shed by Christ when he was crucified on the cross.

Well, and the simplest explanation. During the fast, people could not eat eggs. So that they do not deteriorate before Easter, they were boiled with the addition of a dye, so that later you can easily distinguish a raw egg from a boiled one. You can use any colors for dyeing eggs:

red personifies the love of God, indicate “the royal dignity of the Savior” – this is the most important festive color for Easter eggs; blue shades are associated with kindness, love for one’s neighbor, and hope. This color is associated with the Blessed Virgin; green means rebirth, prosperity; all shades of yellow symbolize wealth and wealth. …



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