Easter Eggs, A Tradition that has become a Beautiful Surprise
Think of an Easter egg and invariably one of the first things that comes to one’s mind is the Christian festival of Easter. According to Christian faith, the day of Easter which falls on a Sunday, marks the end of the forty day period of Lent that culminates with the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. Traditionally, eggs symbolize fertility and new life. In the Christian context of Easter or the period of Eastertide, Easter eggs represent the empty tomb of Jesus, from which Jesus rose from the dead and also in many ancient Christian traditions, the practice of staining the Easter eggs with the colour red was done in remembrance of the blood of Christ that was shed at that time of his crucifixion. This tradition is believed to have originated from the early Christians of Mesopotamia.
According to another view on the tradition and origins of Easter eggs by Jacob Grimm a 19th century folklorist and philologist, says that the custom of Easter eggs among the continental Germanic peoples may have stemmed from springtime pagan festivities of a Germanic goddess known in Old English as ‘Ä’ostre’ (namesake of modern English Easter) and possibly known in Old High German as ‘Ostara’ (and thus namesake of Modern German Ostern 'Easter'). In modern day business and marketing contexts, the concept of Easter Eggs has been used by companies to surprise their customers with hidden gifts, utilities that are packaged with the products or services they offer.
The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a more modern and globally encompassing practice involves wrapping chocolate eggs that are edible in colored foils, or having hand carved wooden eggs or plastic eggs filled with confectionery and candy, usually chocolate.
In addition to the coloring and decoration of eggs, there are many games that are played with these eggs as part of popular tradition with Easter celebrations across the world. One of the most famous games is the Easter Egg Hunt. This involves decorated eggs, which may be hard-boiled chicken eggs, chocolate eggs, or artificial eggs containing candy, that are hidden for children to find. These eggs often vary in size, and may be hidden both indoors and outdoors. When the hunt is over, prizes are distributed to the ones who collect the most number of eggs, or even for the smallest egg. Another game involves the rolling of Easter eggs. Traditionally played in the United Kingdom and Germany, eggs are rolled down hillsides during Easter. This tradition was brought to the New World by the the European Settlers. A famous example of this tradition can be seen at the White House during Easter, where ‘Easter Egg Roll’ event takes place on the White House lawn.
At Blanket Hotel and Spa we invite you this Easter to explore the rare and unexplored hidden beauty of Munnar. We would like to accompany you as part of this wonderful journey of discovering Munnar.