The Easter egg is venerable indeed. While the gaily
colored ones
and rich chocolate ones that we enjoy are quite recent in origin,
The real egg, decorated with colors or gilt, has been acknowledged
as a symbol of continuing life and resurrection since pre-Christian
spring celebrations. Given as gifts by the ancient Greeks, Persians,
and Chinese at their spring festivals, and in some pagan customs.
The Heaven and Earth were thought to have been formed from two
halves of an egg.
The egg was a symbol to early Christians of Jesus' Resurrection,
it was felt to be a most appropriate and holy part of the
Eastertide celebration. Even as early as the Middle Ages, eggs
were colored to be given as gifts at Easter; Edward I accounts
for 1290 include the expense of purchasing hundreds of eggs to
be distributed to his household. In the 17th century, pope Paul V
blessed the humble egg in a prayer to be used in England,
Scotland, and Ireland: "Bless, O Lord, we beseech Thee, this
Thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance
to Thy faithful servants, eating in thankfulness to Thee,
on account of the Resurrection of Our Lord."
Today to Christians , it is a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ
just as the chick breaks the shell when it is hatched and
begins its life, so Christ comes forth living from the apparently
lifeless tomb.finished eggs are 125x150
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