Easter Eggs

A couple of days ago, my family, like families across the world, got together to decorate Easter eggs.  This tradition is integral to the celebration of Easter as a holiday, so I thought it would be interesting to do a bit of research on the history of these eggs.  Interestingly enough, I found that the painting of hard boiled eggs actually pre dates Christianity- for example, people have been decorating eggs on Nowruz (the Iranian New Year that occurs on the spring equinox) for thousands of years.  According to a Huffington Post article, "the egg is a symbol of fertility, new life, and rebirth in cultures around the world."  However, it holds meaning for Christians as well.  For them, the Easter egg is symbolic of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the shell evidently representing the tomb and the cracking of the shell representing the Resurrection.  Apparently, in Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches, eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood Christ shed on the cross.  In addition to the decoration of eggs, Easter egg hunts and rolls are also beloved traditions.  According to the same Huffington Post article, "Eggs are rolled as a symbolic re-enactment of the rolling away of the stone from Christ’s tomb."  One notable occurrence of an Easter Egg Roll occurs annually on the White House lawn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/easter-eggs-history-origin-symbolism-tradition_n_1392054.html

Here are some particularly pretty Easter Eggs!