Omne vivum ex ovo.
“All life comes from the egg.” Dancing Lion Chocolate’s display case is loaded with freshly-hatched chocolate eggs. Copper-bronze pecan praline (prah’-linn-ay) eggs, small yellow and green pistachio gianduja (zhahn-do’-yeh) eggs, gigantic lacy cacao or tangerine eggs. It’s that time of year.
Eggs are an element of many Spring celebrations. For 3,000 years Persians have celebrated the New Year, Nowruz on the March equinox, and dyed eggs representing fertility adorn the dinner table.
Eighth century scholar, author and monk Bede writes
Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate
that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.
Eostre being an Indo-European goddess of light and sunrise that 19th century mythologist (and editor of Grimm’s Fairy Tales) Jacob Grimm links to the Germanic “Ostara” who was celebrated as the representation of Spring. With eggs.
Much Easter symbolism derives from the Jewish Passover, or “pesach,” that celebrates the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. The Sedar Egg–a hard-boiled egg consumed as part of the Passover dinner–is a symbol of mourning, but also of fertility. (It shouldn’t be surprising that the date of Pesach was initially dependent on the barley harvest).
The role of the egg in Christianity is diverse. Early Christians believe
d cooking eggs on Easter would promote fertile crops and stave off death. Orthodox traditions present red eggs to friends as part of the Easter greeting; red symbolizing the blood of Jesus and eggs symbolizing rebirth (fertility).
During the Spring, we make chocolate eggs. Regardless of culture or tradition, each egg I craft brings three joys.
Joy of an Artist creating.
Joy and delight when you ask “is that egg really chocolate?” Joy when all that remains is a smudge on a pair of happy lips.
Here’s to Rebirth and to Life! And to decorated eggs for all.
