A Brief Story The story of the Easter egg is an ancient one. It is a tale that stretches back in time before the life of Christ and the inception of Easter as a Christian festival.
that stretches back in time before the life of Christ and the inception of Easter as a Christian festival. Eggs played a spirited role in the mythology of many pre-Christian cultures, where they symbolized the creative and the regenerated forces of life. More than any other object, the egg provided metaphor for the renewal of life.
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A Symbol of the Resurrection.
As the early Christian
Church spread its power throughout the ancient world, Easter
has become a religious celebration of the Resurrection, which commemorated the redemption of mankind from sin and Christ’s symbolic triumph over death. As a result the egg has become a symbol of the Resurrection.
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Colouring of eggs It is uncertain when the tradition
of colouring Easter eggs began. Many stories, however, related
the custom of coloured eggs directly to Christ’s crucifixion. Red Easter eggs, once the most common colour in many countries, were said to have been coloured with the blood of the Christ which he shed to wash away the sins of the world.
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Throughout the centuries secular symbolism continued to change
the religious veneer, with red eggs denoting good health,
long life, and power over evil; green ones representing hope and renewal; yellow or gold eggs symbolizing eternity and wealth. .
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Tokens of affection Along with plain-coloured eggs, elaborately decorated
eggs have long been exchanged as tokens of affection
among friends and relatives, as love gifts between men and women, and as symbols of religious celebration among believers. Even early kings gave gifts of eggs. Historical records show that in 1290, Edward I of England ordered 450 eggs to be covered with gold leaf and distributed to the members of his court.
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Russian Imperial Family Six hundred years later, a series
of eggs were made that became the most famous
gift eggs in history. They were the fabulous jeweled eggs made for the Russian imperial family by the House of Faberge.
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First Imperial Egg The tradition began in 1885 with
an egg presented by Czar Alexander III to his
wife Marie Fyodorovna. It is known as the First Imperial Egg. Each year the best masters of the House of Carl Faberge created beautiful eggs to please the women of imperial family.