Here's a look at the pious custom of red eggs in the Orthodox Church for you and your families to enjoy. Where did the tradition come from anyway? It seems there are a few possible answers to this question...of which I prefer to believe in the miracle that God worked through His handmaiden, Mary Magdalene (whom by the way is often wrongly attributed as the prostitute who anointed Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair - See Orthodox Wiki for a well cited clarification).
Other symbolism, not as dogma, but as tradition includes:
*The egg as the new life in Christ through His resurrection
*Red for the color of our Lord's blood but also for His divinity
*The outer shell to be cracked as the doors of Hades are shattered
Since children enjoy decorating the eggs, why not encourage them to display their faith on them, as the picture shows! Be sure not to throw away any icons if you use them, but certainly include symbols like ~ icxc, fish, crosses, tree of life, the Trinity, 4 Greek Letters for Mother of God...etc
This worksheet is available in PDF format here
7 comments:
Thanks for this - the kids always love the red eggs!
This is fantastic! I can't wait to print a bunch of these out for the kids at our church. Thanks Elenie and hope you're having a blessed and fruitful Lent!
What type of gold paint was used to decorate those gorgeous red eggs? ~ Patricia
Christ is Risen! Good job, Elenie! I am so happy for you and for me: I need all the rescourses I can for my two little girls.
God bless you,
Kakia
Kakia...as in my Greek teacher? If this is you please send me an e-mail at "eleniemarie@gmail.com" so that we can share each other's news. I would love to hear from you. Filakia
Most likely from a long held pagan tradition where a baby was sacrificed at the sun rise service in honor of the goddess Ishtar/Easter. As the infants blood ran down the alter, they would dip eggs in it as a fertility ritual. This ritual is where Easter eggs and rabbits come from.
Contrary to what some might suppose, the elevation of the ubiquitous egg is not a modern commercial hype or based on an ancient pagan belief. In orthodoxy has deeper meaning. It is rooted in the earliest days of Christianity and other religions, toο. The obvious implication is that the egg symbolizes the hatching of new life, the resurrection and rebirth of humanity. An early tradition embraced by the Greek church calls for coloring the eggs red to symbolize the blood sacrifice of Christ. In the early days of Christianity, the poor would wake up every day and have to find something to eat, so, if you were invited by someone to share a meal, you were sharing your life. That meal of life was often simple: a divinely nutritious and ever-so-ordinary hard-boiled egg.
Orthodoxy is the perfect communication between humans and God.
ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ
Post a Comment