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Sponsored by: Wilkinsons and Sainsbury (Letchworth)
Origins of Easter Eggs
The egg is widely used as a symbol of the start of new life,
just as new life emerges from an egg when the chick hatches
out.
The ancient Persians 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.
At the Jewish Passover hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes the Passover sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem.
The pre-Christian Saxons had a spring goddess called Eostre, whose feast was held on the Vernal Equinox, around 21 March. Her animal was the spring hare, The Germanic goddess is known from the writings of Bede Venerabilis the seventh-century Benedictine monk. Bede describes the pagan worship of Ēostre among the Anglo-Saxons as having died out before the time he was writing. Bede's De temporum ratione attributes her name to the festival, but does not mention eggs at all. S ome belive Eostre was associated with eggs and hares, and the rebirth of the land in spring was symbolised by the egg.
