Before the egg became Easter tradition, it was associated with pagan rituals during the rite of Spring festivals. It was a symbol of the universe for the Romans, Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians, Persians and others. From ancient times down to modern day, the egg has been dyed, painted and exchanged.

The Polish Invasion of the History of Easter Eggs

The first Polish legend to make a note of combines folklore and Christian thinking during the Easter celebration that it well documented and expresses an unusual take on the history of Easter eggs. It is a very endearing story involving the Virgin Mary and some pretty remarkable eggs. Mary is said to have given eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She asked for them to be less cruel and wept. It is said that the tears of Mary fell onto the eggs, spotting them with dots in fantastic techni-colors. Which in my opinion is a fantastic explanation of the history of Easter eggs and why we do with them what we do.

The second Polish legend is of Mary Magdalen. This legend says that Mary Magdalen went to the sepulcher to anoint the body of Jesus. Mary took a basket of eggs with her as a snack. It is said that when she arrived at the sepulcher, she uncovered the eggs to discover that the shells had taken on a rainbow of colors.

English History of Easter Eggs Traditions

People of England have been coloring and decorating their Easter eggs since way back in the middle ages. The records for the house of Edward I, in the year 1290, have listed an expense for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and colored as Easter gifts which would make sense as it is not far off from what we do today.

Faberge and Russia's Contribution to the History of Easter Eggs

The most famous version of Easter egg comes from the well known goldsmith Peter Carl Faberge. The Russian Czar, in 1883, commissioned Peter Faberge to create a special Easter gift for the Empress Marie.

One of Faberge's first eggs was a fantastic design with an outer shell made out of enamel - needless to say it would be priceless today. When the outer egg was opened, it revealed a smaller golden egg. The smaller egg when opened, revealed a chicken and the Imperial crown in replica. Does this sound familiar? It is just what we do today when we put goodies inside our Easter eggs.

When the Czar saw Faberge's eggs he instantly fell in love with it (and who could blame him) and immediately ordered Faberge to create more and deliver them to the Empress every Easter. This custom was continued by the Czar's son Nicholas II and enabled the creating of 57 specialized Easter eggs. This delivery of eggs at Easter time was quickly adopted and continues today to shape the history of Easter eggs.

Because of the special treatment given to decorated eggs at Easter, it became practice to seek out these special eggs. This is how the traditional Easter egg hunt began. This is also why eggs hidden during the celebration are colorful and sometimes decorated and filled with gifts.