Even atheists paint eggs at Easter - simply because the tradition is beautiful. Meanwhile a large number of boiled eggs throughout the country these days often leads to post-holiday stomach problems among their consumers. And all because of improper cooking or storage of the Easter symbol...
Take advantage of the portal's advice , so that you can enjoy Easter eggs and not get yourself into trouble.
By the way!
Did you know that our ancestors, when painting eggs before Easter, put a very specific meaning into their own drawings? The hops and dots on the egg were symbols of fertility, the oak tree was a symbol of strength, and the dove was a symbol of the soul. Wishing someone close to them good health, they gave him an egg with a pine tree on it, and when expressing a feeling of love to someone, they put a picture of plums on the Easter egg.
Among the symbols there are also those that relate only to women (apparently because it was women who painted Easter eggs). The berries in the picture symbolized the mother and the woman, her ability to reproduce and care for offspring, and the flowers on the egg, on the contrary, testified to the girl’s purity.
The mesh, which was considered a symbol of fate, played a special role in painting eggs. If it was white or applied to a white background, it symbolized fate, which is being built in the sky, and if it was yellow, then on the earth.
CHISINAU, April 5 – Sputnik. The head of the municipal public health center, Luminita Suveike, spoke in a commentary about the risks posed by dyes for Easter eggs.
“Personally, I prefer natural dyes - onion peels - the eggs turn out to be a very beautiful golden color. But if someone needs scarlet eggs, then they need to choose food dyes,” the interlocutor said.
According to her, the packaging should indicate that it is food coloring, and also describe the composition and shelf life. The doctor emphasized that you cannot buy paint for eggs outside specialized retail outlets.
“You can’t buy paint for eggs in the middle of the street, by the spoonful, when you don’t know what they’re slipping into our hands. If the shell cracks during cooking and the white becomes colored, then we can already say that the paint is not of very high quality. In general, it’s better to use natural dyes. Some also use parsley leaves , and decorate the eggs in some other way. I recommend natural dyes,” Suweike said.
© Sputnik / Mikhail Mordasov
How long can eggs be stored?
According to her, colored eggs can be stored for a maximum of two days. As the specialist noted, it is not recommended to leave them in the refrigerator until Radunitsa (memorial days), since the eggs will no longer be edible.
"It is not recommended for food to sit on the table for more than two hours. This is undesirable. And in general, you need to be careful, since now merchants are offering various products. There was a fast, and now they need to sell the goods. I recommend buying products in authorized places. Even pay attention when buying eggs, look at the appearance of the product,” Suweike added.
How to choose eggs?
- The shell must be intact and clean.
- The white and yolk should be clean, without any stains.
- Pay attention to the smell of eggs, as there may be spoiled ones.
- Eggs must be stamped with the date of production.
Painted eggs are an indispensable attribute Happy Easter. This is the main holiday dish and good Easter gift friend and relative. Every year, believers paint eggs before the holiday so that there is prosperity and joy in the house. But the great holiday falls every year on different time and have you wondered when it is allowed to dye eggs before Easter? Do this in the week that precedes Easter, and on what day - we’ll try to figure it out.
We paint eggs for Easter on Maundy Thursday and Saturday
Our ancestors began to prepare for the holiday on Monday of Holy Week, preceding the holiday. But if you paint eggs on Monday, what will happen to them until Sunday? Traditionally, two days are allocated for this festive preparation:
- Clean Thursday. Don't start painting eggshells early in the morning. First, put the house in order - do a general cleaning, wash the windows, doors and floors, wash the clothes. According to tradition, everyone bathes at home on this day. Then start baking Easter cakes and coloring eggs.
- Holy Saturday. If you spent all Thursday cleaning and didn’t get around to coloring the eggs, don’t worry. You can paint them and prepare different holiday dishes in the kitchen on Saturday morning. On Sunday no one does this anymore.
Why can’t you paint eggs for Easter on other days of Holy Week?
On the first three days of Holy Week - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - it is forbidden to do household chores. Pray at home, go to church, follow the rules of fasting. Besides, it’s too early to color boiled eggs; they will spoil before Sunday.
The most mournful day in the week before Easter is Good Friday. On this day our Lord was crucified. Give up all household chores, fast, pray, attend church. Priests recommend refraining from all housework on this day. But if you have no other time, start painting eggshells after 15-00. This is the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. But you probably don't want to do housework on such a sad day.
When did the tradition of dyeing eggs for Easter begin?
This tradition, according to one version, came to us from the 10th century. This is stated in writings dating back to the tenth century. A manuscript was found in the library of a Greek monastery and it is written there that after the Easter service the abbot distributed colored eggs to the monks and said: “Christ is Risen!”
If you read the Bible, you know that the tradition of dyeing eggshells appeared even earlier - after the resurrection of the Lord. Mary Magdalene hurried after the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Roman Emperor Tiberius to tell the good news. She brought him an egg. But the ruler laughed and said that he would believe in the resurrection only if the eggshell changed color. And a miracle happened! The eggshells turned purple. This shade is not accidental. It is a symbol of the shed blood of Jesus Christ for all people.
Folk signs associated with colored eggs for Easter
In Rus', there are many signs associated with Easter eggs:
- The first painted egg presented at Easter has unique properties. It never deteriorated, and it was placed next to the icons and stored until the next holiday. People believe that it protects the house from evil people and all evil spirits;
- shell from colored egg don't throw it away. Bury it in the garden and get a good harvest;
- To preserve beauty and youth, young girls washed their faces with water into which they had previously placed the shells of colored eggs.
Create a splash of color for your Easter basket by painting your eggs in bright and festive hues. Take it to the temple along with the Easter cakes and dedicate it. Give this Easter gift to a friend or relative and share the joy of our Lord's resurrection.
Painted eggs are not only served at the festive Easter table, it was customary to give them to each other throughout the Easter week. Since ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of nascent and renewed life. Many customs that existed among different nations. In some places in Russia, an egg was placed in its foundation so that the work of the builders would proceed, and happiness and prosperity would not leave its future owners.
There are several versions about where the custom of giving and painting eggs for Easter originates. Legend has it that on Easter, Mary Magdalene gave the Roman Emperor Tiberius an egg painted red - the color of the blood shed by Christ on the crucifix. On the egg was written “H.V.”, that is, “Christ is Risen!”
At Easter festivities, games with eggs were often held. For example, in villages they “rolled” eggs. They chose a small, flat piece of land and trampled it down to make a flat area. Shallow holes were made in the ground. Each of the participants brought their own painted eggs, which were laid out in holes. The task of each participant was to roll the egg he liked out of the hole - then he became the winner. The eggs were rolled out using a special rag ball with flattened sides, similar to a wheel.
Since there was a custom to store eggs for a whole year until the next Easter, eggs began to be made of wood and painted with ornaments and patterns. Later, eggs made of porcelain, silver and precious stones appeared.
HOW TO PAINT EGGS
* To color eggs, it is best to use onion peels, which are collected in advance. Depending on the color of the husk, the color of the eggs ranges from light red to dark brown. If you want the color to be more saturated, you need to take more husks and cook them for about half an hour before adding the eggs to the broth. The almost purple eggs come from the skins of red onions. You can also paint with birch leaves or food coloring.
* To prevent eggs from bursting during cooking, they must be kept warm or at room temperature for about an hour; during cooking, you can add a tablespoon of salt to the water.
* Some families maintain the custom of coloring eggs “speckled.” To do this, wet eggs are rolled in dry rice, wrapped in gauze (the ends of the gauze must be tied tightly with thread so that the rice sticks to the egg) and then boiled in onion skins in the usual way.
* To make painted eggs shine, they are wiped dry and greased with sunflower oil.
* You can boil eggs wrapped in multi-colored threads, then they will produce interesting patterns.
* In order for the eggs to be colored from the inside and not the outside, you need to boil them for 3 minutes, then take them out and pierce the shell with a needle in some places, and then boil for another 1-1.5 minutes in a strong tea leaves with the addition of cloves, cinnamon and coriander.
* To quickly color eggs, boil them for 10 minutes with some vegetable: spinach (green) or chopped beets (bright red). For a marbled effect, wrap the eggs in onion skins and tie some cotton material over the top.
