Easter egg symbolism

As families gather to celebrate Easter, a common activity involves Easter eggs — dying them or stuffing them with treats and hiding them. But what does Easter have in common with eggs? According to catholicculture.org, the egg symbolizes the Resurrection. 

“As a chick breaks the shell when it is hatched and begins life, so our Lord comes forth living from the tomb,” states the website. 

Easter Sunday also means the end of the Lenten season and days of fasting and penance and people celebrate the glory and joy of the Resurrection by wearing their “Sunday best” and going to church, then gathering with family and friends for Sunday brunch or lunch. Oftentimes, there are decorations, baskets of goodies and Easter eggs.

Decorated eggs dyed in bright colors are a sign of rejoicing, according to the website catholicstraightanswers.com. In Eastern Europe, people decorate eggs with intricate designs and religious artwork. They are usually dyed red to represent Christ’s blood.

The site also explains how the symbol of the egg found its way into the celebration of Easter:

“The Easter egg symbolizes the Resurrection: just as a little chick pecks its way out from the egg shell to emerge to new life, so Christ emerged from the tomb to new and everlasting life.  The unbroken egg symbolizes the rock tomb of our Lord; and when broken, symbolizes that He has risen from the dead.  The ancient Romans had a saying, ‘Omne vivum ex ovo’ (‘All life comes from an egg’); easily, one can see how such a saying would inspire the early Christians to use the egg as an appropriate symbol for the new and everlasting life won for us through our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection” (catholicstraight
answers.com).

Also, eggs were once a forbidden food during Lent. Generally, the faithful abstained from all forms of meat (except fish) and animal products, including eggs, milk, butter and fat.  Pope St. Gregory the Great, in the sixth century, established the Lenten rule that Christians were to abstain from meat and all things that came from the “flesh” such as milk, butter and eggs.  

The prohibition around the consumption of milk and eggs led to Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). And, pancakes became a popular meal for using up milk and eggs before Ash Wednesday. Over time, concessions were made over dietary restrictions during Lent. 

As for those deviled eggs that are traditionally found on Easter tables throughout the South, look back to ancient Rome, where boiled eggs were seasoned with spicy sauces and served as a starter meal for fancy feasts.