Numerous legends surround the glorious egg, perhaps this is because the egg has strong links with Creation myths in many cultures, with Alchemy and differing philosophies. They have been considered as precious throughout time not least because many famous gods, goddesses, demons and  heroes were considered to have sprung from eggs. Symbolically the egg represents rebirth in both Pagan and Christian beliefs.

Alchemy is the ancient mystical art of transmutation and is seen as the forerunner of modern chemistry and metallurgy. 'The Philosopher's Egg' was the name given to the crucible in which Alchemists hoped to be able to produce the 'Philosopher's Stone' - the substance which culd turn  all other metals into gold or silver. It was shaped like an egg and for special reasons. The egg has symbolic associations with the four elements all necessary in the transmutation process for alchemists:

SHELL - EARTH
MEMBRANE - AIR
WHITE - WATER
YOLK - FIRE

Old Philosopher's Egg Riddle
'Mine was the strangest birth under the sun;
I left the womb, yet life had not begun;
Entered the world, and yet was seen by none.'

In China eggs which are reputed to be one thousand years old are highly prized (although the age span label is questionable) are preserved for six-ten weeks with a coating of clay ashes, lime and salt. The  chemicals in the clay will soak into the shell and when removed will have a smooth creamy texture and firm consistency. The 'Thousand Year Egg' is usually translucent, and colored blue or green with a bright green yolk  typically. Having a slightly fishy taste it is usually served at the beginningBR>of a meal, and having half an egg is usually sufficient as they are extremely rich. There is a traditional practice associated with ensuring good  luck will come to female offspring in Chinese traditional beliefs. It is said that to announce the forthcoming birth of a child it is customary for the family to paint eggs bright red in color, this being the color  associated with happiness. In the Chinese culture the egg is the most important symbol of life and re-birth.

The tradition of giving eggs in Russia was not restricted to Easter but for many occasions. Indeed it was known historically for Aristocratic  ladies to keep their hands cool by holding eggs made of jade or marble. One Russian folk tale tells that a young man faithful to his fathers dieing wish distributed many eggs on his way to church on Easter Sunday to the  poor. At the door of the church the young man met an old man. He gave the man his last egg and then realzed that the old man was Christ himself. 'Nest eggs' are decorated wooden eggs-within-eggs, were also given to children  in Russia (these are similar to the famous 'Matrioska' dolls). The term 'nest egg' is now familiar in the West too and applies to a sum of money which has been saved to be spent on something special in the future. A nest egg is  typically made for a child by the parents and given on a special occasion, for example an eighteenth or twenty-first birthday, or wedding, or saved for a particular item or retirement.

Some of the most highly decorated Russian eggs were made by the European court jeweler 'Carl Faberge' during the end of the nineteenth- century and into the early 1900's. He was the son of a Swiss immigrant to Russia and his work for the Romanovs, Russia's imperial ruling family, is  internationally known. At their request, he and his highly skilled craftsmen would create jeweled eggs to be given as prsents amongst the family for Easter and alsoother celebrations. Each was made from precious materials, gold,  crystals, porcelain and priceless stones with concealed springs. When the spring was released, the contents of the eggs would reveal wondrous surprises. Amongst the most well known are the eggs which concealed clocks, birds that  sang, baskets of flowers, larger stones, lockets and even replicas of coaches or palaces. Faberge's ingenuity seemed to know no ends. One egg contained a beautiful globe which was also a clock covered in the most beautiful  gems but the 'Orange-tree' egg presented to the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna by Tsar Nicholas II is one of the most exquisite. Trying to find the way to open the egg was intriguing. Usually the key to open the egg would  be found by pressing one of the jewels which would be disguised as something else.

Did you know that the word 'cockney' is Middle English for 'cock's egg? It is thought to stem from the fact that country folk believed at one  time that townsfolk were malnourished and lived mainly on cock's eggs. Of course cockerels do not lay eggs but the townsfolk were thought to have eaten the white lump which could be found inside the cockerel which resembled  a small white egg, and hence their poor reputation. Cockney is also the generic name given to people from the East-end suburb of London (UK) who are well- known for their 'cockney rhyming slang', for example 'apple and pears'  meant 'stairs', 'currant bun' meant 'sun' and so on.

Even in the twentieth-century eggs have been highly prized but perhaps the reasons are slightly different. In Germany, in 1918, for example,  eggs were so difficult to find after World War I that to buy one it was necessary to have a doctor's prescription.

Eggs have a number of positive and negative associations according to folklore too, particularly chicken egs. According to an old English  (UK) belief the tenth egg in a batch will always be the largest, whilst to find a small egg will bring misfortune. Collecting the eggs after nightfall is not advised but if you wish to find out whether someone thinks highly of  you taking a hard-boiled egg, removing the yolk, putting salt in its place and eating only this for supper will help you dream of that special person.

Eggs that have no yolk were considered to be very unlucky as they are  traditionally believed to be laid by the cockerel, whilst an egg with a double-yolk was said to indicate an imminent death in the family. Sailors were also advised not to mention the egg by name but by the term  'roundabout' to avoid misfortune at sea. Poking a hole by accident in the bottom of the shell after eating a hard-boiled egg though is considered to be very lucky, but never throw the shell on a fire or the hen will  never lay again and a storm may bre at sea. The Scots (UK) believe that crushing the shell is the best way to avoid any negative events happening. The Scots also believed that witches would collect up any shells left whole and use  them to sail out to sea in order to sink the ships. This belief is thought to stem back to Roman times. The Japanese traditionally thought it also unlucky for a woman to step over an eggshell as this would cause her to become  confused and agitated to a state of what was called madness.

Eggs were also given to babies traditionally in the North of England (UK). Friends, relatives and parents would give the gift of an egg, matches, bread, silver coins and a pinch of salt wrapped in a small packet, to the baby pinning it to their clothing. This was believed to bring good luck, health and prosperity to the child. The egg symbolized fertility and  immortality; the matches would provide light on the way to heaven/afterlife; bread symbolized the ecessities of life and salt symbolized health in mind and body. Different combinations of these gifts were given, with  salt and fire also believed to have a further positive influence providing protection against negative energies.

EASTER EGGS

Easter is a Christian Festival which celebrates Christ's  Resurrection, and today eggs are exchanged with family and friends to commemorate the unification of all God's children at this time. It was said that Roman Catholic nuns near Rome decorated hen's eggs and took them to church  on Easter Sunday so that the eggs could be blessed by the priests and then distributed to the locals for food. Traditionally children were given hard-boiled eggs painted red to symbolize the blood of Christ. The  Romans and Egyptians would exchange eggs to symbolize the continuance of life after death. Early Christianity is thought to have adopted the idea and incorporated it into Eastercelebrations.

Yet many have forgotten where the custom of exchanging eggs to  family and friends has come from. The actual origin of giving eggs is generally believed to stem from Pagan traditions, and it is also believed by some that the word 'Easter' derives from the old Saxon language word 'Oster'  meaning 'to rise'.

The rising and rebirth of the sun on Easter day was a time of much celebration and dancing in an old Aryan belief but only because the sun rose and not for any other reason. To commemorate the rising of the sun  on this day, red and gold eggs were exchanged as eggs symbolized the birth of the new sun, again linking together the various Creation myths associated with the egg. The Pagan goddess 'Eastre' or 'Eostre' (Spring or Dawn) is  thought by some to have been the reason why the festival received the name 'Easter'. The rebirth of spring and all things growing after winter was a reason for great celebration in te Pagan world. Eostre's favorite animal was  the 'hare', and there have long been associations between the hare and Easter, although latterly most people tend to associate the rabbit with Easter (hence 'Easter Bunnies' can often be found sold commercially at this time). The hare in Pagan animal mythology represented love, growth and fertility which ties in very obviously with Easter Bunnies, the beginning of spring and new relationships.

More on Easter

According to tradition, in the former Czechoslovakia and Hungary young girls would decorate eggs for their sweethearts, intending to give the eggs as a token of their love and admiration rather than for religious reasons.  Obviously the man who receives a number of eggs at Easter is popular but he is also considered to be a handsome catch. A girl can, if she wants, give more than one egg to raise the stakes in the love match. Why? Well  her chances of gaining him as a future husbad are higher as the young man having received the eggs will then store them for a length of time (which he can decide). When he feels the time is right, he must look again at  the eggs and see which egg has retained the strongest coloring. Whichever girl gave him the egg that is the most colorful egg when he looks at the eggs again will become his betrothed, as it is clear that if the color has not  faded during this time then her love is true and will not fade also.

The Alsatians have a different approach to celebrating this time of year and on how to go about building relationships. The girls decorate the  eggs and then wait for the men to come and collect them, but there is a catch. Not all the eggs may be collected and a girl may be left with a number of eggs having received no callers. Although the idea of someone collecting  the egg from you is a very different approach to the Western custom of giving the intention behind te exchange remains the same - a love token.

Perhaps it is the combination of all these traditions through time  that produce today's Easter egg exchange amongst most as an act of kindness. Easter is a time when people around the world exchange eggs, usually to indicate a religious significance or because of friendship. Most are  made from delicious chocolate or carved of wood (to make the moment of sharing last). Some eggs are prettily decorated and packaged whilst others carry inscriptions, poetry, and short messages but what is the  significance of the messages written upon the egg? (See Mystical WWW Easter Egg Traditions and Messages). Some believe that the tradition of decorating eggs can be traced back to the birth of Christ when it is said that the Virgin Mary  painted eggs green, yellow and red to entertain and delight the infant Jesus.

It is has been a long tradition that lovers exchange eggs at this time of year wit eggs carrying personal messages, but of course not all the  messages indicate that the relationship is one that is going to stand the test of time. Some believe that to exchange eggs between lovers indicates that a betrothal is imminent, but if a young man in the Tyrol  receives a pair of eggs from his sweetheart at the same time he knows that she has transferred her affections elsewhere. If this is the case, it is said that he should smash the eggs on the floor, not only to symbolically  signify the heartbreak which may result but also to end the emotional and spiritual ties that have bound them together so they are both free to make new associations.

There are many ways of decorating eggs with a range of natural substances and colors which can be applied to your very own design. The best egg to
decorate is reputed to be a white hen's egg, and the best tool to use to inscribe a message on the egg is an old-fashioned school pen nib. Natural dyes can be obtained from a range of flowers and vegetables, with the skin of an onion being one of the best. Take the peel and leave it soaking in tepid water for several days before boiling the egg in the onion  water. The same process can be applied to two other very good natural dyes, beetroot and birch leaves, which remember, can also be mixed to make your own special color. Be sure to leave a few weeks to make your special Easter egg  decoration. One particular traditional decoration symbolizes the Resurrection, and immortality, and it is to soak a reed in rainwater and then let it dry. As it dries you will see that it turns green. The general rule is that there is no rule to decorating an egg. Be creative, think about your own special message or adopt a traditional one, then get together all the bits and pieces you need. A personalized Easter egg is often so  much more rewarding for all the people concerned.

Of couse if you are lucky enough to own an Araucana Hen you may decide not to decorate the egg as the hen lays eggs which are either blue, pink or green. A very unique bird!

By taking an Easter egg into a church, it is said that a male can discover whether there is any negative energies present and also the identity of any witch inside the church. Should there be any witches in the  congregation their true identity will be revealed to him. He will recognize the women who are witches it is said by the fact that they will have pieces of pork in their hands rather than prayer books, and instead of bonnets each  witch will have a milk pail on their head!

There are many renowned traditional Western Easter dishes associated with this festival, the most popular ones being 'Pancakes' served on Shrove Tuesday and 'Scrambled Egg Bentinck' which is traditionally served on Easter Sunday.

Popular Traditional Easter Egg Messages (The sentment as you can see varies according to the intention!)

 

It is said that if a girl wants to find out who she will marry one method is to boil an egg and then fast for a day. After doing this she should extract the hard-boiled yolk and fill the hole left in the egg-white with salt. Whilst reciting an incantation to St. Agnes the girl must eat the  whole egg - white, salt an shell - everything!