All you need to know about Easter Egg Coloring
The egg as a symbol of Easter dates back to the time when Mary Magdalene Emperor Tiberius donated egg, telling him that Jesus was resurrected, but also symbolizes a new life, life force, because the saw just inside the shell breaks and comes to light. The egg is a symbol of life and it was part of tradition and customs, not only with Christians but other religions and societies trough the history.
Eggs are painted mostly on Good Friday, that means today, (or Great, as in Eastern Ortodox Churches is called), although in some areas painted on Thursdays, which is also called the Great(Good).
Traditions vary from country to country around the strictly religious, but there are Easter traditions that have nothing to do with religion as it is in Western countries used to the Easter Bunny brings gifts to children. In many countries in recent years, boiled eggs are replaced with eggs of chocolate, consumer society has led to the custom of coloring eggs somewhere dies under the pretext that children prefer chocolate eggs.In Austria, a very important holiday Green Thursday before Easter, when it is customary to eat green vegetables and eggs this day symbolize painted green.In Mexico, the Thursday before Easter, believers go to the seven churches in each pray for the forgiveness of sins.
Traditions vary from country to country around the strictly religious, but there are Easter traditions that have nothing to do with religion as it is in Western countries used to the Easter Bunny brings gifts to children. In many countries in recent years, boiled eggs are replaced with eggs of chocolate, consumer society has led to the custom of coloring eggs somewhere dies under the pretext that children prefer chocolate eggs.In Austria, a very important holiday Green Thursday before Easter, when it is customary to eat green vegetables and eggs this day symbolize painted green.In Mexico, the Thursday before Easter, believers go to the seven churches in each pray for the forgiveness of sins.
For Jews, anywhere in the world, Easter is a very important holiday, as well, with their families reminded of the exodus in its history, and during the holidays they eat food that has symbolic significance, unleavened bread and eggs.
Catholics in many countries, Easter, welcome in churches, at midnight, when the church bells ads, they kiss three times, and the feast of the resurrection can begin.In Russia, the people of Easter with baskets of food go to the graves of deceased relatives, where we stayed most of the day eating and thus paying tribute to the deceased.
Easter, Eastern Orthodox believers greet each other for Easter with – “Christ is Risen” – “Indeed He is Risen!”
Easter color is red, symbolizing the blood of Jesus shed innocent, and custom in Serbia is the first egg painted red. This egg is called the "Homeprotector", is kept throughout the year and as the name says, protects your home and family. "Homeprotector", attributed magical powers, keeps the evil forces and demons out of home and its occupants. In some parts of Serbia, “Homeprotector” egg is kept in a bowl with water until Easter morning, and then family members, especially children, wash their faces in that water mixed with basil and few other important local health herbs, to symbolize family to be healthy and rosy all year.
In South American countries, in many cities Easter day turns into a carnival with music and confetti, children in America that day, looking for eggs hidden in the courtyards.
As you can see, the traditions vary from country to country, but the most important is that it is one of the holidays that brings together family and its traditions.
Giving and sharing eggs was still the custom in the Persian civilization, even Egypt and Greece, long before Christianity.and at that time they were decorated and gave away as eggs are considered a symbol of life, representing the birth and was associated with the spring, the season that also symbolizes rebirth.
Coloring with Pysanky, Naturally with herbs and in a Steamer
On this Easter Friday, here are some unusual and the most beautiful egg dyeing methods for me, all here:
*Ukrainian Pysanky,
*Natural in onionskin and fruits and vegetables with herbal imprints and
*Abstract egg coloring in Steamer
New method I recently discovered, definitely fun for kids is hot glue egg coloring, where with glue gun, you apply glues on the egg, dip in the color, take off the glue and voila!
Happy Easter!
Ukrainian way of hot wax egg design - Pysanky
 |
| Easter eggs done Ukraininan way - Pysinky |
Beside eggs, to make Easter Ukrainian eggs, you'll need some tools:
1. kistka
2. beeswax
3. egg dyes
white vinegar, candles, papers ..
The most important tool - kistka is a hollow metal pen that has a container where your heated wax flows through and draws shapes on the egg shell. One can find kistka and wax, along with special egg dyes in some craft stores or markets at this time of year. Egg is than dipped in different colours and the whole process is repeated. The whole meaning is to dye egg in one colour, protect that colour with a wax (by drawing some shapes), and to repeat the whole process by using different colours, ending up with a colourful egg with many patterns and shapes. The egg dyed this way can be a real piece of art!
The entire process starts with design preparation. Patterns are drawn on the paper and then same lines are copied by drawing with a kistka and wax to the egg. Some easy as well as some more complicated patterns are now easily found on the internet. Some simple and more complicated designs with instructions can be found on Learnpysanky.
Eggs should first be washed in a vinegar bath at room temperature, because that way the dye is better applied to the egg.
Dyes are prepared in a containers according to the instructions.
Then, take a kistka and pour some wax in the kistka's container. Heat it over a candle.
 |
| Whole process for one egg, from white, yellow, red to black. Ready for oven. |
 |
| Steps for lines and colors for one Pysanky egg.. |
 |
| ..this is the final product of previously shown steps and dipping in different colors |
Draw the shapes from your pattern by applying melted warm wax on the egg shell trough the tip of the kistka. Dye the egg in a next desired colour of your next pattern lines. Draw the lines over new colour with a wax again. Follow the whole process of dying and wax drawing from your pattern design. Light colours (white, yellow) are applied first and dark at the end.
 |
| Tools, Patterns and Dyes |
Eggs are then dried with a paper towel and the wax is melted from the egg shells. This can be done over a candle or, even simpler, in the oven at 250 F (120 C), just so the wax can be melted and an egg is not cooked. After 10 minutes or until eggs start to be oily, take hot eggs out from the oven and wipe the melted wax from each egg with paper towel immediately.
The Ukrainian egg dyeing process is finished with this step and now your Easter eggs are ready for Easter. |
| Wax removing process done in the oven |
Natural egg color dyeing
with fruit and vegetable infused colors and herb and flower imprints
.JPG)
The technique of herb-imprinted eggs in onionskin infused water is one of oldest and most unusual you’ll find in the western world. Commercial dyes are available, but this old-fashioned natural method can create beautifully golden-red eggs with artistic imprints of natural herbs and flowers.
The following is a process for of herb imprinting and colouring in onionskin infused water for one dozen eggs.
1. Prepare the dye with the onionskin:
In a stainless steel saucepan, place skins of 10 big yellow (Spanish) onions and 2 tbsp of white vinegar in about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about half an hour. Cool and leave it aside for couple of hours or overnight to infuse.
2. Prepare eggs with herbs:
First you'll need some old pantyhose cut in 3"- 4" (8-10 cm) strips with no holes, closed at one end with a tread or tied in knot and a bunch of small garden herbs and flowers (parsley, basil, cilantro, clover etc..) that can stick to the egg tightly.
Place one herb on one side of your egg. Wrap the egg with pantyhose strip that is closed on one side.
When herb is nicely placed on one side of the egg, wrap it tightly and carefully so your herb is still stuck on the egg. Stretch the pantyhose and close the other side tightly. The tighter the pocket of the pantyhose is around the egg, the better the herb will appear on the egg.
Now, the prepared eggs are ready for coloring in onionskin infused water.
Put your pot with onionskin back on the stove until it starts to boil. Turn down the heat and continue simmering. Start adding prepared eggs until you fill the pot. Simmer it for about 10-20 minutes, checking on the color of the eggs, every so often.
When egg is ready, take it out carefully and cool it down a bit until it is easy to handle. Take off the pantyhose, place in a paper towel with a little bit of oil and rub the egg until the herb is off and all the egg is nice, shiny and polished.
 |
| done! |
Tips:
-A couple of weeks before Easter, start saving onionskins in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until they are ready to use. Or buy a bag of onions and peel them all.
-Do not use any porous (wood, ceramic, plastic, etc.) materials as they can be coloured by the dye
-Leftover cooked eggs can be used later in many tasty dishes, that I'll post here soon.
Naturally colored pastel Easter eggs
This method is similar to the previously explained with onionskin, just use different plants etc.. for color and imprints.
Natural Blue
Wash the cabbage and cut out the stem.
Chop into small pieces.
Place cabbage pieces in a pot and add water until the cabbage is covered.
Simmer for 10 minutes and then drain.
The resulting liquid will be purplish.
Natural dark Blue with blueberries
Add 3/4 cup of water
Bring mixture to a boil and cook the berries until they start popping, while mixing frequently
Natural yellow with turmeric
Add 2 cups of water into a 1 quart stainless steel pot…
Bring this mixture to a boil and add your eggs, remove from heat and let the eggs be submerged for about 1 hour or longer. The longer you keep the eggs in this dye the deeper the yellow color will be….
Natural purple with grape juice
Place eggs in single layer in a pot, add water , vinegar and grape juice. Bring to boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs.
Chop into small pieces.
Place cabbage pieces in a pot and add water until the cabbage is covered.
Simmer for 10 minutes and then drain.
The resulting liquid will be purplish.
Abstract egg coloring in Steamer
.JPG)
You’ll need steamer and egg coloring in powder for this method.
.jpg) |
| method explained below |
- Place your eggs in a steamer. Start your steamer.
- Spread a little bit of your desired colors over top of the eggs.
- Start with one color and then continue with all of them or some of your choice to get desired abstract designs.
- When one side is done, cover the eggs with a lid and wait for three to five minutes so that color start to spread around the egg and eggs are cooking.
- Uncover eggs and carefully with some long cooking tongs, flip eggs to the other side. Sprinkle with colors again. Cover. Continue with steaming for five more minutes.
- Continue the process until satisfied.
- Take colored eggs carefully out, since they will be very hot, and watch not to brake them and cool on prepared newspapers or wooden board for about ten minutes.
- While still warm, polish them with a bit of olive oil in cotton cloth.
Comments