The egg has been a symbol of life since primitive times. The mysterious combination of such a simple form with the ability to hide under it the most complex processes associated with the formation of an organism has not left indifferent thinking people in all ages.
The story of Easter eggs began with Mary Magdalene's visit to the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Talking in lands far from Palestine about 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. Tiberius's merry smile did not have time to leave his face, when the egg turned red in his hands. Whether the Roman Bishop believed Mary or took this miracle for some unknown trick, history is silent, people in general tend to be distrustful precisely when something real happens. But for some reason, we are willingly imbued with illusions.
This is how the story of Easter eggs andthere was a tradition of giving them on the feast of Holy Easter. At first they were painted exclusively in red, then the palette expanded, adding elegance and a general atmosphere of jubilation to the entire festive table. In addition, each color is symbolic: green reflects Easter as the resurrection and celebration of life, blue - aspiration upwards, yellow - the sunlight of faith.
A tradition has arisen to keep donated symbols all year long - until the next Holy Sunday. But it was not easy to observe it - they are fragile and perishable. The history of Easter eggs was continued with wooden Easter eggs, elaborately decorated with patterns and Christian symbols. Each such work of folk art competed with another in the beauty and skill of the one who, with God's help, worked on its creation. This gift could be kept for more than one year and admire it in those moments when you wanted to look at something beautiful.
Like every art, Easter symbols have been further developed and decorated. The best jewelers, famous for their craftsmanship, got down to business. Faberge Easter eggs - a famous company that gained fame thanks to the highest artistic merit of its products - have become a symbol of the era. Impeccable filigree, inlay, enamels and diamonds combined with filigree movements that filled the works of art. Each of the jewelry masterpieces had its own name and, in addition to the Easter semantic load, carried subtext associated with memorable events and dates. The history of Easter eggs in the late XIX andthe beginning of the 20th century is firmly associated with the name of Carl Faberge, who executed orders from the imperial house. Many of his works can be seen in the collections of the Hermitage and other world-class museums.
But not everyone can be a great jeweler. And it's not a problem. Decorating eggs for Easter with your own hands helps to tune in to the upcoming holiday, its joyful and solemn atmosphere. In this case, you can and should show imagination, since nowadays a variety of stickers and paints are sold that make work easier and give elegance to these indispensable attributes of the Great Day.
Christ is risen!
