The term Easter comes from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring to whom the month of April was dedicated; it has not always been celebrated as it is today. Now it is well known that Easter is a Christian celebration of Christ’s rising, but do you know why and how the egg, in one form or another, became so associated with this holiday?

First, we have to keep in mind that the egg has been a symbol of creation for hundreds of years. Easter comes in spring, the season when the earth renews itself after a long hard winter. With the emergence of spring the earth bursts forth and is reborn, according to Pagan times. Then the egg became the symbol of hope. The pagans began exchanging eggs as a symbol of creation, new life and a resurrection of nature after winter.

With the birth of Christianity and the celebration of Easter, the egg became a religious symbol. It changed from representing nature’s rebirth to the rebirth of man. By the Middle Ages, decorating and coloring ...