BRIGHT AND lurid. That’s the typical Easter egg—hard-boiled and painted over in vivid hues of pink, blue, green, yellow, purple—everything.
It was not as cheerful long, long ago. The Easter egg was dyed blood-red to signify the blood of Christ. Imagine children today running around, bright-eyed, foraging for objects that put torture and suffering to mind.
It was the Christian Mesopotamians who used the egg as such. But egg-decorating was an art—perhaps a pastime, who knew—in prehistoric times, as far back as 60,000 years ago. Ostrich eggs with engravings have been found in Africa. Meanwhile, more ostrich eggs, festooned with designs, have turned up in tombs in Ancient Egypt, and in Sumer, in Mesopotamia.
The egg is a symbol of life for obvious reasons. The hare—or the bunny, that furry Easter mascot—not quite so. Perhaps life may be too grand—fertility, though, is a fitting word. There’s that phrase: “to breed like bunnies.” Rabbits and hares can get knocked up even if they were already knocked up to begin with. (“Superfoetation,” they call it.) They multiply in the spring, beginning at around the time of the March Equinox. Hence: the rabbit serves as an emblem of spring, the season itself a symbol of life, fertility, and rebirth.
The hare, too, may be observed as a motif in medieval Christian art. In England, they use the symbol of “The Three Hares” in church architecture to signify the Holy Trinity. Other than that, the Bible (nor any canonical Christian text, for that matter) holds no mention of hares or rabbits as part and parcel of the faith.
It was the Germans—Eostre, and the Osterhase—who perpetuated the Easter bunny and the egg hunt such as they are today. In Anglo-Saxon mythology, Eostre is the goddess of spring and fertility. The hare, particularly the Moon Hare, is a sigil of sort, to this deity. The hare (associated with the moon) and the egg (symbolizing the sun, as per pagan belief) come together on the Vernal Equinox, when day and night become the same length. In other tales yet, the hare, moon-goddess, gives birth to the egg, the sun-god. This equinox is met with festivities in her name.
The German Church later adopted this pagan affair as they became the new religion in 15th century Germany. They re-contextualized the festivities into a commemoration of Christ’s resurrection, known, today, as “Easter” (yes—they named Jesus’ greatest victory over sin after a pagan god).
The egg-laying hare called Osterhase, meanwhile, traces its roots back to the 1500s. It was first published in a story in 1608. Children would make nests and leave them outside for the hare to lay her eggs in. German immigrants brought this tale and custom with them when they came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s. The festival spread across the nation, and baskets replaced nests, in due time.
Egg-hunting with a Twist
To date, the custom of painting Easter eggs have turned into a widely popular treasure hunt. Whatever your beliefs or traditions for Easter, some acrylic paint, kiddie games, and prizes won’t do you any harm. Have a crack out of the conventional and try these egg-hunting twists:
- The Winning Number
You’ll need both plastic eggs and real eggs. Place numbers on the real eggs, and small prizes inside the plastic ones (try candy, action figures and stickers). The number on the real eggs corresponds with special prizes: books, stuffed animals, larger toys, and Easter baskets.
- The Largest Sum
Put some math into the equation. Paint numbers on all the eggs. As soon as the kids have collected them all, have them add up all the numbers on their eggs. The kid who has the largest sum wins the hunt and gets a special prize.
- Egg Hunt in the Dark
Ideal for young teeners. Cover the eggs in glow-in-the-dark paint or provide the kids with flashlights or miner’s helmets for a bit of fun. With this simple new twist, you’ll turn up the notch and give the game a new flavor.
- Reverse Egg Hunt
Parents can also join in the fun. Let the kids hide a few eggs around the house and have the grown-ups search for them to turn the tables around. The kid whose egg is found last will win a special prize for having the best hiding spot.