The Christian festival of Easter has become synonymous with eggs, either hand-painted or chocolate, and remains one of the most recognisable parts of the holiday.
The tradition for gifting and receiving eggs at Easter dates right back to Pagan times, when eggs were considered to represent fertility. As Easter coincides with spring time in the Northern Hemisphere due to its calendar relation to the Vernal Equinox, the tradition of gifting eggs was continued and incorporated in to the Christian celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Eggs have now become one of the most recognisably secular ways of celebrating Easter.
Easter eggs come in one of two forms. One tradition dictates that normal eggs, laid by hens, should be boiled until hard and then painted for the purpose of display and decoration. This is a continuing tradition in many families during the Easter period, and egg decoration has become an enjoyed pursuit even among professional artists.
The second way in which Easter eggs are used is not quite so inspiring for the creative soul, and effortlessly bad news for the waist line: chocolate eggs. Usually these eggs are gifted from parents to children, or among friends and relatives, and are designed to be consumed for their chocolate content rather than used for decorative purposes. Major chocolate and confectionary manufacturers produce their very own branded Easter eggs, which adorn supermarket and grocery store shelves from March onwards in a bid to tempt buyers.
In modern terminology, 'Easter egg' has another meaning; namely a hidden surprise, scene or game within a DVD or game, which one has to 'hunt' for - just like one has to 'hunt' for traditional Easter eggs.
DANIELA OLIVEIRA
APRIL / 2022
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