And here we are again, springtime is here, like every year... with its flowers and sunshine, rain-showers, buds and insects, but also... its eggs!
You have noticed, of course, this omnipresence of the egg in the spring theme... Easter and chocolate eggs being the icing on the cake (if I may say...)
In fact, the egg is at the heart of spring...
Imagine... Two thousand years ago, or twenty thousand years ago...
It’s February or March, in the peasants’ huts, as in the homes of the lords...there is almost nothing left of the harvests of September... Some cereals and some old apples at most... All the animals are still in hibernation, no possible hunting …
And then, on a beautiful spring morning... the birds wake up and begin to lay!!
Finally proteins available again! What better symbol than the egg for spring and the return of life! Just imagine the joy and relief of our ancestors!
Of course the egg is a much bigger symbol... Here, in a few lines, I’m going to try to sum up its history, its mythology and its symbolic meaning...
The egg is a symbol of life because it encompasses the life to come which, moreover, comes out of it.
By its oval shape that suggests the infinite, the egg represents rebirth and regeneration of the cycle of life.
From the outside, it seems dead and inanimate while inside a new life takes shape.
The egg's oval shape is a reminder of the cycle of the seasons, again also symbolizing death in the winter and rebirth in the spring, flourishing in summer and decay in autumn.
For the Pagans, the egg yolk represents the sun god, while the egg white and pale shell refer to the Moon and the Maiden goddess, their holy marriage being source of life in the protected womb of the egg.
The egg and its protective shell, a cozy little nest, is associated with the nest of the bird, a comfortable space to develop, and therefore also refers to the feminine womb, the Yoni, in Sanskrit.
The egg plays a role in the philosophy of many cultures as a source of new life born of inanimate matter - many believe that the world was created from an egg, called the cosmic egg of creation and rebirth, considered to contain the sprout from which the whole Universe developed. The birth of the world from an egg is a universal symbol, common to the Celts, Greeks, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Tibetans, Hindus, Chinese, Siberian populations… In ancient Egypt, the egg was venerated as the beginning of the world, the origin of the world. A version of the myth of creation
mentions the original sacred egg containing 'the bird of light'.
5000 years ago, the Chinese offered painted eggs at the arrival of spring. In ancient Greece and Rome, colored eggs were suspended and offered in March to celebrate the spring equinox, the beginning of the year. The egg symbolized renewal and fertility. It is with this same connotation that from the 4th century, eggs were used as funerary offerings in Roman-Germanic tombs, in order to wish the resurrection of the deceased.
Christianity has adopted the egg as a symbol of fertility, resurrection and eternal life. The tradition of offering eggs is a very old one, especially at Easter, festival of resurrection and awakening of nature. Like a womb or a tomb, the egg encloses life, symbolizing the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, from which Jesus Christ was resurrected on Easter morning. It is for this reason that the egg is a Christian attribute of Easter. In one of his parables, Jesus
calls the egg a 'good thing' (Luke, 111, 11f). This is how it became a 'virtuous food'.
Nowadays, in Spain and Italy, eggs are placed in the baptisteries, on the altars dedicated to Mary or at the foot of the crucifix. The Orthodox Church also customarily hangs golden eggs or even ostrich eggs in front of the iconostasis (a screen on which icons are placed, separating the sanctuary from the main part of the church), in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ.
Hens’ eggs, ostrich eggs, chocolate eggs, candy eggs, or porcelain eggs - Easter eggs come in all sizes and colors. At Easter, it is of course still customary to eat eggs, to gift them or use them as decoration.
Beyond the Christian symbolism, there are also practical reasons for eggs to be everywhere at that season. In the Middle Ages, the Church banned all meat and eggs during Lent (Ash Wednesday to Good Friday). Therefore, before Easter, peasants accumulated large quantities of eggs. In order to keep the surplus and not waste them, they were cooked, decorated, blessed in the church and then offered. They were on the table on Easter Sunday. During this period, the peasants often paid part of their rent in eggs.
Since the 13th century, red is the traditional color of the Easter egg. It represents life, joy, symbolizes the blood shed on the Cross and refers to the sacrificial death of Jesus. It was only later that the eggs were painted in other colors.
If you take a closer look at the pictures shared in this article, you will note that I’ve picked eggs decorated in traditional styles form various countries in the world, including China, Latvia, Russia and the USA.
I also wanted to mention the famous Fabergé Eggs, a series of a jeweled eggs created by the jewelry firm House of Fabergé, in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, between 1885 and 1914. As many as 69 eggs were created, of which 57 survive today and they are worth millions of dollars and have become symbols of opulence.
Finally in the pictures, you will see Yoni eggs which are crystal egg that a woman can insert in her vagina, with a purpose of healing, using both the shape and weight of the egg, as well as the properties of the crystal. Yoni is the Sanskrit name of the feminine womb and Yoni eggs help women become emotionally conscious of their Yoni and bring light and brightness to Yoni. Yoni Egg permits a communication, a relationship between the perineum, the pelvic muscles, the vagina, Yoni and the egg.
I guess all this is why, every spring, when the symbolism of the egg is revitalized in the world, I am called to share this knowledge with you. And year after year I write, share on my podcast organize events or courses around the egg.
So much for today ...
I would be so happy to hear from you about all that.
Thank you in advance for your comment.
See you soon, for my next online adventures!
Until then I send you love, light and gratitude.
Isaya
PS: Join my free Facebook Group Living a Goddess Life and tell me what you think, I love hearing from you !
Thank you for sharing ! I have learned new things one of them being about eggs in Russia ! Must go and research more about them! I keep tradition of painting eggs every year , sometime using only old way thought down from generations, colouring eggs by cooking them in red onion peels while different grass have been put on them and secured with nylon tights.
Yep, I do the traditional way from Greece as well! The egg myths and stories are fascinating aren’t they?