There is something magical and unique about eggs. Perhaps it’s the vulnerable shape or its wobbly nature. Maybe it is the fragility of an external womb, the prospect of a new life in an oval structure that you can hold in the palm of your hand. An important food source since the beginning of humanity, people all over the world have also cherished the egg’s alchemical meaning much before the Christian holiday festival arrived.
Easter is a season associated with eggs. For most of us, chocolate eggs immediately spring to mind when we put those two words together. However, these are relatively young in the long history that interlinks people and eggs.
In antiquity, ostrich eggs were carved, painted and adorned to be gifted as decorative items for the wealthy. These would often be buried with the owners as part of the most valuable personal belongings to take on their journeys to the afterlife.
In mediaeval times, eggs were not consumed during Lent. Once the fasting period was over, eggs were eaten and given to the poor in a unique Eucharist that symbolised rebirth and life, and also fertility or prosperity.
In Ukraine and neighbouring countries, pysanky eggs (main image) are traditionally chicken eggs painted during Lent with beautiful patterns and vibrant colours. These will then be part of the Easter celebrations placed in baskets, carrying cereals and other treats, on dinner tables and even distributed around the house for good luck. This millennium-old tradition of egg painting has been passed through generations and so far has been able to survive modern trends. However, in the present day, pysanky are predominantly made of wood.
In the late 1800s, Russia brought us the most luxurious kind of eggs – Fabergé. The iconic jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé created the finest eggs using precious metals like gold and gemstones such as diamonds or rubies. These phenomenal creations would have a surprise element hidden inside, a concept similar to the modern-day Kinder egg!
First made as an Easter present to the Tzarina in 1885, the Fabergé eggs so impressed the Tzars that they commissioned more eggs to be presented each year. Fabergé created 50 Imperial eggs, of which 43 are accounted for, while 12 have been lost or secretly kept.
Far from the Russian elegance or the delicate eastern patterns, Portugal’s humble Easter egg tradition lies in a traditional cake (of course!) with boiled eggs on it, shell and all! The Folar com Ovo is a simple cake with hints of cinnamon and fennel containing one or more boiled eggs encrusted. There’s an ancient legend behind the cake that supports the values of sharing and friendship.
In our house, together with my wife and two children we paint some egg shells with felt tip pens to create short-lived Easter decorations that we place around the house. A great recipe for joy and laughter in the Costa household! We pierce a small hole at each end to empty the eggs and then blow the contents onto a bowl.
Once empty and dry, we start our colouring. This year, we also plan to use some glue and textiles to embellish our Páscoa (Easter).
The Folar Miracle
According to traditional folklore, there was once a poor, young and devoted girl whose only wish was to marry young. Mariana used to pray to Saint Catherine (patron saint of all the single ladies), hoping that the saint would grant her wish:
“My shredded spinning-wheel,
My spindle to fill,
My buried mother-in-law
My unborn husband.
My Saint Catherine,
With devotion and affection
Take you my godmother,
Get me a little husband.”
Mariana prayed so many times that the saint decided to send her not one but two pretenders: a young farmer called Amaro and a noble suitor. Both young and handsome, Mariana could not decide and did not know what to do. Amaro visited Mariana and asked for her decision to marry him by the following Sunday. Later that day, the young noble also came by her house demanding an answer.
Sunday arrived (the sixth Sunday of Lent) and a neighbour rushed to Mariana to tell her that both suitors had met on their way to her house and were going to duel for her hand in marriage. Mariana ran to where they were fighting and, as she prayed for Saint Catherine´s help, she called out “Amaro”, concluding her choice.
A week later, on Easter´s eve, Mariana was once again troubled as she was told that the disappointed nobleman had announced his revenge and planned to kill Amaro on their wedding day. Once again, Mariana prayed to Saint Catherine for help, and this time, legend says, the figure statue of the saint briefly smiled back at Mariana. The next day, which was Easter Sunday, Mariana returned to the statue to lay a bunch of flowers as a gift to Saint Catherine.
When Marina returned home, a cake with whole eggs was standing on her dining table alongside the flowers she had just left at the altar. She ran to Amaro to tell him this miracle only to find that he, too, had received a similar cake. They thought that this would mean a change of heart from the nobleman representing his acceptance of their marriage, so they decided to pay him a visit too.
To the surprise of all, the young noble was also holding a cake with eggs in his hands. The mystery remained for the men, but Mariana knew that this had been a gift from heaven and her beloved Saint Catherine. They all shook hands and parted as friends.
