Is this the Truth about Easter-eggs?

Question

Eggs (Easter). Eggs were symbolical from an early time. There was the “Mundane Egg”, in which Brahmâ gestated, with the Hindus the Hiranya-Gharba, and the Mundane Egg of the Egyptians, which proceeds from the mouth of the “unmade and eternal deity”, Kneph, and which is the emblem of generative power. Then the Egg of Babylon, which hatched Ishtar, and was said to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates. Therefore coloured eggs were used yearly during spring in almost every country, and in Egypt were exchanged as sacred symbols in the spring-time, which was, is, and ever will be, the emblem of birth or rebirth, cosmic and human, celestial and terrestrial. They were hung up in Egyptian temples and are so suspended to this day in Mahometan mosques.

Answer 1

The Decorated Easter Egg

The egg is nature's perfect package. It has, during the span of history, represented mystery, magic, medicine, food and omen. It is the universal symbol of Easter celebrations throughout the world and has been dyed, painted, adorned and embellished in the celebration of its special symbolism.

Before the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter, it was honored during many rite-of-Spring festivals. The Romans, Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians and Persians all cherished the egg as a symbol of the universe. From ancient times eggs were dyed, exchanged and shown reverence.

In Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil; pregnant young Roman women carried an egg on their persons to foretell the sex of their unborn children; French brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new homes.

With the advent of Chrisianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.

Old Polish legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.

Another Polish legend tells of when Mary Magdalen went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs, lo, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.

Decorating and coloring eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the middle ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of eighteen pence for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gifts.

The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.

The first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown.

This special Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all.

Ornamental egg designers believe in the symbolism of the egg and celebrate the egg by decorating it with superb artistry. Some use flowers and leaves from greeting cards, tiny cherubs, jewels and elegant fabrics, braids and trims, to adorn the eggs. They are separated, delicately hinged and glued with epoxy and transparent cement, then when completed, they are covered with a glossy resin finish. Although the omens and the mystery of the egg have disappeared today, the symbolism remains, and artists continue in the old world tradition of adorning eggs.

This is the history Easter Eggs have in my religion. I am sure other religions claim a history with them as well. I like your version too.

Answer 2

I don't know if each of those are true, but I would expect it. The egg is a symbol of fertility, and most religions or cultures have special days of fertility. Rabbits? Do you know how many babies they have!? Rabbits also symbolize fertility. As to them being on Easter, think of what the resurrection means: "new-life" or re-birth............ Fertility. Simply having eggs does not make Easter pagan. In the same way the early Christians used a pentagram to symbolize the five wounds of Christ, and thought it would keep witches and demons away. Pagans, Jews, and other cultures also used the pentagram.

Its strange that pagans tend to want to "claim" the origins of Easter, Christmas, etc when basically all religious have similar methods. Does it mean that Christian are worshiping pagan, Egyptian, or Mesopotamian gods when they use eggs on Easter? No. Because no Christian bows or prays to the egg. It is merely a symbol for the kids.

Answer 3

consider this

"Ishtar", which is pronounced "Easter" was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz", who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.

That missing part was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Baal", the sun god.

Queen Semiramis also proclaimed that Baal would be present on earth in the form of a flame, whether candle or lamp, when used in worship.

Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess.

Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived.

She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full.

She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River.

This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter", and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg."

Answer 4

Possibly... most of the Christian beliefs and traditions are actually versions of older religious rituals (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, pagan) which the early Christians adopted to make the transitions easier when they were converting people to Christianity during the Middle Ages.
Why do we associate the birth of Jesus, which occurred in the Middle East, with evergreen trees ( abundant in northern climates) ??? Because the holiday coincided with a pagan holiday in Europe in which trees were decorated. Pagan religions focused on nature worship, so the decorating and celebrating trees makes sense.... But leave it to the Christians to come up with the idea to actually chop the tree down and watch it slowly die inside your house.

Answer 5

Every society creates their own myths to explain things away. The truth is what you believe to be the truth, and that largely depends on how you were raised. In my path, I'm more along the lines of the egg being the re-birth in Spring of life from life.

Answer 6

No don't tell him. You will make your Mother look a liar and break the bond of trust he has with her. Your "punishment" is that you know the truth and placed your Mum in a situation where she felt she had to lie. Small price to pay for continued harmony !

Answer 7

If you look back further, fertility and eggs have been long part of just about every religion to some degree or another. You're on the right track.

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Answer 8

Yep. The egg is also symbolic of the moon, which is another symbol of Ishtar.

Answer 9

Yep. Eggs are a traditional sign of fertility and they have Pagan origins in spring festivals.

Answer 10

newdude is pretty close- he left out that in the Ishtar cult the eggs were dyed in the blood of sacrificed babies.
The egg thing is simply pagan and in the Bible God says, 'Don't adopt pagan customs and tell me you are doing them for me!' paraphrased.