Food History

Easter and the Easter Egg

 

 

 

The History

 

The Easter Holiday is almost here.  There will be food and family around just like any other holiday. Yet, like any other holiday, many people want to know what the meaning behind Easter is. Christians commemorate Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that He was resurrected. Protestant settlers brought the custom of a sunrise service, a religious gathering at dawn, to the United States.

Yet how did the egg get involved in this holiday? 

Here are some facts about the egg and why it is associated with Easter.

·         Easter eggs are common during Eastertide as they symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus.

·         Though an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life; similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.

·         Eggs are colored now in spring colors. Yet that tradition was started when eggs were stained red as a symbol of the blood of Christ.

·         The Romans believed that "All life comes from an egg."

·         Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ

·         At the Passover Seder, a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes both new life and the Passover sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem

 

*Check out our Favorite Egg recipe during the Easter Holiday and 4 ways to jazz it up on our website. www.cookingwithpatt.com

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg, http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/easter.htm, http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/history/icons/easter_egg.htm