The Origin of Easter Eggs

While it is difficult to find any certainty behind how Easter Eggs became associated with Our Lord's resurrection, we do know that the Jews have always used roasted eggs at the Seder table. At the Jewish Passover Seder, eggs are a symbol of mourning, earth and the circling of life. Each Seder plate contains a roasted egg or a beitzah. The egg on the Seder plate is a symbol of the loss of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Seder egg also symbolizes the hope that the Temple will be rebuilt. Some Jews do not eat the egg from the plate while others believe that he who secures the egg after the Seder will prosper. Jews from Eastern Europe eat hard-boiled eggs dipped in salt water at the beginning of the Seder meal. This symbolizes mourning and can also be a symbol of the luck egg is supposed to bring.

Christian tradition has several versions of how the egg came to be a symbol of Christ's rising from the dead. One tradition has it that Simon, who helped Jesus carry His cross, was a farmer. He had eggs to sell for the Jewish Seder tables and when he was pressed into service to carry the cross for Our Lord, he had to set his eggs aside. Later, when he returned, all of his eggs were still there in the basket, but instead of being white, they were brightly colored eggs!

Traditions involving Mary Magdalene say she carried a basket of eggs with her to visit the tomb of Our Lord and when she arrived at the tomb, she uncovered the eggs and they were brightly colored. Another tradition involving Mary Magdalene says that she brought an egg to the Emperor of Rome. She held the egg up and told the Emperor, "Christ is risen". The emperor told her that He was no more risen from the dead than the egg in her hand was red. As the emperor said this, the egg in her hand turned blood red. Because of this tradition, icons of Mary Magdalene often show her holding a red colored egg.

One other tradition says that Mary, the mother of Christ, and Mary Magdalene placed a basket of eggs at the foot of Jesus' Cross and they were colored by the blood of Christ. Some say that the basket of eggs Mary brought to the foot of the cross were colored by her own tears. One last tradition says that Mary carried eggs with her when she went to beg Pilate for Jesus' body. As she walked, she handed eggs to the children she met along her path, and thus the giving of eggs on Easter became a tradition.

Early Christians would bring an egg to give their host on Easter, holding it up saying, "He is risen!" and the receiver of the egg would reply, "He is truly risen!" This Easter, bring back the tradition of saying "He is risen!" with Easter Eggs. You could even write "He is risen" on a few eggs to hand out to friends while explaining the reasons behind coloring Easter eggs. While we don't know the exact origin of how eggs came to symbolize Our Lord's resurrection, it is a lovely way to celebrate Easter. Alleluia! He is risen! Truly, He has risen!