One of the oldest Easter traditions is dyed eggs. These eggs are usually painted on Holy Thursday in commemoration of the Last Supper, the final meal that according to Christian belief Jesus shared with his Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.
Many times we have wondered why Easter eggs are dyed red. There are three different traditions around the origin of the red eggs custom.
According to the first tradition, a woman was informed of the Resurrection of Christ, but would not believe it unless the eggs she was holding turned red. The eggs turned red at once, and the woman believed in the Resurrection.
According to the second tradition, Virgin Mary herself offered a basket of eggs to her son’s guards so they could treat him better during his martyrdom on the cross. The eggs turned red when Virgin Mary soaked them with her tears.
According to the third tradition, which is more widely spread, after Christ’s Resurrection Mary Magdalene, who was among the first to see Christ’s empty tomb, went to the Roman emperor to inform him about the miracle of the Resurrection.
The emperor did not believe what he was told, and to prove it was only a figment of her imagination, cried that if the eggs in the basket next to him turned red instantly, then he too, would believe in the Resurrection. The eggs turned red and the Emperor was persuaded.
The clinking of red eggs is a custom deriving from the Resurrection tradition, as it symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s tomb and his exit from death.
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