Tradition and playful ideas with Easter eggs

Eggs are one of our favorite Easter symbols: you will find them decorated, made of chocolate, hidden. So many are the traditions that passed through the ages and that are still popular nowadays. Eggs have been a symbol of spring since ancient times representing new life and nature re-birth.

Origin of Easter eggs

Easter eggs tradition has ancient roots, it dates back to pagan and mythological beliefs. Did you know that Egyptians considered eggs as the heart of the four universal elements: Air, Earth, Water and Fire? 

It was common for Persians to give eggs as a present during Easter time. Later, especially during the Middle Age, the egg became more and more the symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. 

Easter is celebrated during the time when hens start laying eggs after the winter slow down: this is why children look for eggs hidden in gardens and fields in the contemporary traditions.

Decorating Easter eggs

Creative ways to decorate eggs are a fun way for kids to celebrate Easter but we bet adults will enjoy it too during the pic-nic or waiting for lunch time.

Easter eggs games

There are so many Easter party games that let your children hop, jump, skip and dance their way through this springtime celebration. Here are some of them:

• Egg hunt. Probably the most traditional Easter game for children. Adults have fun hiding chocolate or decorated eggs while kids join the competition to find as many eggs as possible.
• Egg roll. Each child is given a hard-boiled Easter egg. The object of this Anglo-Saxon tradition is to get the egg from the starting line to the finish line. There are several ways to roll the egg, did you know that the White House version allows the kids to push it with a spoon?
• Egg tapping. In this game the two contenders hold a hard-boiled egg and tap each other egg with the intention to break the other's, without breaking one's own.
• Egg dance. The tradition of the Easter egg dance is connected with the egg dance that was performed on an Easter Monday in the late 15 th Century, at the wedding of Margaret of Austria and Philip the Handsome, Duke of Savoy. The aim of the game is dancing on a floor where eggs are laid out, without breaking any. The game is also called hop-egg.

Do you enjoy other traditional Easter eggs games in your family? Or did you have fun inventing your own?

Let yourself be inspired at www.peltro.com