The Aesthete: Spring Eggs: Ancient Tradition and Modern Elegance

      Because Spring has finally come, I have decided to make the first blog about a wonderful custom which has been around for centuries. I just love Easter Eggs. Though I will refer to them as Easter eggs, as that is what I grew up with, I understand that these lovely creations do not specifically relate or even originate with the Easter celebration. I simply find them beautiful and wish to address the many lovely decorated eggs.
     The egg is a symbol of fertility, rebirth and new life and has become associated with spring as a result. ancient Zoroastrians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring Equinox. The Nawrooz tradition has existed for at least 2,500 years. The sculptures on the walls of Persepolis show people carrying eggs for Nowrooz to the king. In more recent centuries, the tradition of Easter eggs was adopted by Christians and used to celebrate the coming of Spring. It is unclear how pagan ceremony first became associated with Christian Dogma, however, In North America, the tradition is mainly for children.
   The decorating of eggs is usually done on Easter Morning or the eve before. Parents then hide the eggs for children to find. Recently, Easter eggs have been replaced by chocolate or sugar treats shaped like eggs and the decorating remains as a separate activity.
     I believe that the tradition of creating Easter eggs for friends, family or spring decor is a wonderful way to get into the spring spirit.
     There are several versions of spring eggs which one could admire.
Faberge Eggs

One of the most well known types of decorative eggs are Russian Faberge eggs. In 1885 Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. These eggs were made of precious metals, gems and enamel. Though these eggs are generally beyond the price range of many of us, several imitations have been created and sold for reasonable prices.

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

These "pysanka" are Easter eggs which are decorated using the wax resist dying style and traditional Ukrainian designs. The word comes from the verb pysaty, "to write", as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax. This name refers specifically to these traditional eggs and cannot be used to refer to other eggs decorated by wax resist methods. These eggs are often sold to tourists as they have become world famous for the exquisite and elegant designs. Typical colours for these eggs are black, red, white, yellow, blue and green.

Perforated Eggs

Perforated eggs are lovely but very delicate. These eggs are carved very carefully and often resemble lace when the design is complete. The designs range from simple to extremely complex. They are difficult to locate in stores and a great deal more difficult to make if one is untrained, but definitely worth having.

Home-made Eggs
It is possible to create lovely eggs at home. Traditional egg decorating uses coloured dyes. Recent commercial egg-dying kits provide brightly coloured chemical dyes but it is easy to create your own dyes from "green" or all natural materials. Natural dyes can be created from turmeric for yellow, red cabbage for blue and beets for pink. It is also easy to adhere flowers, leaves, pictures,
silhouettes, glitter or gold leaf to eggs in order to decorate them. Home-made egg decorating tips can be found on websites like Marthastewart.com or in specialty books and magazines. Get creative and try out some of these techniques yourself!