The History of the Easter Egg

Brilliantly colored pastel Easter Eggs, safely tucked in tidy little hiding places, await herds of scrambling children who will pluck them from their cozy nests. Easter egg hunting is an event that has become a widespread tradition for children on Easter day. As all traditions have a beginning, this is true for the hunting of Easter Eggs as well.

The traditional “Easter Egg” has several different layers of meaning and symbolism. The “egg” represents fertility, thus new life or new beginnings. It was long thought that the Earth itself “hatched” from an egg. Stories of this nature can be traced back from Ireland to Asia.

In Northern Europe, “eggs” were a sign of fertility. Rituals revolved around the egg and were performed on women to guarantee their ability to bear children. A practice still in use today by lay midwives (healers in the Appalachian Mountains) can mysteriously predict the sex of an unborn infant by watching how an egg suspended by a string, rotates over the pregnant woman’s belly. Predictions of this sort have been just about as accurate as doctors using the ever-so-popular ultra sound.

Pastel colored eggs, chicks and bunnies all have their place in the spring festivals of Ostara. These festivals commemorate the Saxxon goddess Oestre or Eastre for whom Easter is named. In German history Oestre or Eastre is known as Ostara. Ostara is the goddess of dawn and spring. The word we use for the female hormone estrogen developed from her name. Ostara is also a goddess of fertility, and her sacred animal, the rabbit, is known for its rapid ability to procreate.

Ostara’s arrival brought about the end of the winter months. Her arrival meant prosperity and new beginnings among plant and animal life alike. As the story goes, Ostara arrived late one year. To her dismay she encountered a bird whose wings had frozen from the severe cold. She had compassion for the animal since he could no longer fly and made him her lover or pet depending on the story version. She turned the bird into a snow hare and gave him two unique abilities. First, he had the ability to run extremely fast and outrun hunters. Second, he was given the ability to lay beautiful, pastel eggs keeping with his original birdlike creation.

At some point the snow hare angered the goddess Ostara. In her rage she turned him into a constellation (Lepus) and banished him to the sky. He would be allowed to return to the Earth only once a year. During his time on Earth, he would have to give his colorful eggs to children attending the Ostara festival. Thus, the Easter Bunny!

A vast amount of cultures give the pastel colored eggs as presents. A gift of a hand painted or decorated egg symbolizes prosperity and abundance throughout the coming year.

During “the Burning Times” in Europe, Folklore suggests the actual hiding of the Easter Eggs originated. During this time believers and followers of the Christian faith were persecuted and shunned. The adults would come together and in lieu of gifting the eggs to people they would hide them. After they were hidden the children would then be encouraged to search for the hidden eggs. It is even believed that the authorities would bribe the children into revealing where the eggs had been hidden. The purpose behind the bribes was to bring the property owner to justice.

Easter and Easter Eggs are a symbol of the resurrection of new life. So the tradition continues as here comes Peter Cottontail, hoping down the Bunny Trail, hiding eggs for the children on Easter Day. The stories of the Easter Egg and the Easter Bunny live on in the hearts of people around the world.