The egg has been a symbol of life since primitive times. The mystery of combining such a simple form with the ability to hide under it the most complex processes associated with the formation of an organism did not leave indifferent thinking people for all ages.
The story of Easter eggs began with a visit by Mary Magdalene to the Roman emperor Tiberius. Speaking in the lands far from Palestine of the miraculous resurrection of Christ, both she and the apostles often encountered unbelief. So it happened this time. The emperor began to laugh at Mary and, laughing, compared the miracle of the resurrection with such an impossible, from his point of view, fact, as an instant change in the color of the white egg she presented to red. No sooner had the happy smile left Tiberius's face when the egg in his hands began to burn. Whether the Roman ruler Mary believed or took this miracle for some unknown trick, history is silent, people in general are characterized by incredulity precisely when something real happens. But for some reason we are delighted to penetrate illusions.
So the story of Easter eggs got its start and the tradition of giving them for the holiday of Holy Easter arose. At first they were painted exclusively in red, then the palette expanded, adding elegance and a general atmosphere of glee to the entire festive table. In addition, each color is symbolic: green reflects Easter as the resurrection and triumph of life, blue - the aspiration upward, yellow - the sunlight of faith.
A tradition has arisen to keep donated characters all year - until the next Holy Sunday. But observing it was not easy - they are fragile and perishable. The history of Easter eggs was continued by wooden Easter eggs, artfully decorated patterns and Christian symbols. Each such work of folk art argued with another in the beauty and skill of the one who, with God's help, worked on its creation. This gift could be stored for more than one year and admired it at those moments when you wanted to look at something beautiful.
Like every art, Easter symbols were further developed and decorated. The best jewelers, famous for their craftsmanship, set to work. Faberge Easter eggs - a famous company that gained fame thanks to the highest artistic merits of its products - have become a symbol of the era. Impeccable filigree, inlay, enamels and diamonds were combined with delicately executed mechanisms that filled works of art. Each of the jewelry masterpieces had its own name and, besides the Easter semantic load, carried a subtext associated with memorable events and dates. The history of Easter eggs of the late XIX and early XX centuries is firmly connected with the name of Carl Faberge, who performed the orders of the imperial house. Many of his works can be seen in the collections of the Hermitage and other world-class museums.
But not everyone should be great jewelers. And it doesn’t matter. Decorating eggs for Easter with your own hands helps to tune in advance for the upcoming holiday, its joyful and solemn atmosphere. In this case, one can and should show imagination, since today various stickers and paints are sold that facilitate work and add elegance to these indispensable attributes of the Great Day.
Christ is Risen!