Written By Alan Good
TRAVEL - My trip was short this time as I remained in my back yard to hide easter eggs for our grandchildren. The night before had been spent stuffing plastic eggs with chocolate eggs then try and find obscure places to hide them and later enjoy the laughter and squealing as each child finds an egg to place in their basket. But where does this tradition come from?
In many pre-Christian societies eggs held associations with spring and new life. The egg became a symbol, in early Christendom, of Christ’s resurrection and the empty shell a metaphor for Jesus’ tomb. In the medieval period, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, the 40-day period before Easter.
Eggs were also given to the church as Good Friday offerings, and villagers often gave eggs as gifts to the lord of the manor at Easter. In 1290, Edward I purchased 450 eggs to be decorated with colours or gold leaf and then distributed to his household.
According to some, the custom of the Easter egg hunt came from Germany. As far back as the late 16th century, the Protestant reformer Martin Luther is thought to have organised egg hunts for his congregation.
Some say egg hunts are believed to have originated with a tradition linked to the German folklore of the Osterhase (Easter Hare). That bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. The first written reference to the Easter Hare was in 1682.
“Custom had it that the hare would bring a basket of brightly painted eggs at Easter time for all the children who had been good, and these colourful eggs would be hidden around the house and garden for the children to find,” EnglishHeritage.org explains.
Children made nests in which this creature could lay its coloured eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the United States and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests.
Artificial eggs began to appear in London in the 1850s. According to the Illustrated London News, artificial eggs had become popular by 1874.
As society changed, Easter began to move away from being a primarily religious, communal celebration and became more centred around family, home, and children. Many families have their own Easter egg hunt traditions, each slightly unique in their own way. What is yours?
