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EASTER FUN FOR EVERYONE!
Happy March! Happy Spring! St.
Patrick’s Day. Daffodils. Tulips. And this
year, the last day of March is one day away from Easter Eggs.
Yes Easter eggs. I
love them. I love to color them in pretty pastels and share them with my friends
and family. Of course I love to eat them. It’s hard to imagine but the
tradition of coloring eggs goes back to ancient Egypt when during the spring
festival of Sham el Nessim, a non- religious holiday still celebrated today,
hard boiled colored eggs was a traditional picnic staple. It is believed that
Egyptian Pharaohs hung dyed eggs in their temples to symbolize renewed life.
There are many spring holiday
customs, but I learned about my favorite Easter egg tradition many years ago after
I became engaged. My husband, who is of Armenian descent, taught me the Armenian
Egg Cracking Game. One Easter week-end, we visited his Aunt Toorvanda who was
getting ready for the holiday by baking her delicious rolls and dying eggs on
the top of the stove in a large pot of boiling red onion skins. The eggs, now all
the same color rose red, become harder with extra boiling and thus a more formidable
competitor.
The competition is usually saved
for after Easter dinner. The dyed eggs are placed on a platter in the center of
the dining room table. The excitement builds. This is the Super Bowl for eggs.
First you must select your winning egg
from the platter. The pecking order (bad egg joke) can be derived by seating
position or maybe last year’s winner goes first whatever system is fair for
everyone. Remember, you must choose wisely and look for an egg that’s lean with
an elongated shape. After you select your champ (keep positive thoughts in mind),
you must then select your competitor from those at the table. Draw straws, pick
numbers or just say I want Uncle Adam.
Once you know who your competitor
is, you have to decide who goes first. Flip a coin. But I’ve been told, it’s
best if they go first. Remember this is serious stuff so getting as much good
advice as you can, will only lead to victory.
Now hold the egg between your thumb
and index finger of both hands so just the tip of the egg peers through the top.
Make it as hard as possible for your opponent to crack your egg. Protect that
egg with your index finger and thumb. Like football a good defense makes a strong
offense. If your egg does crack, no worries, just flip it over and let them
have another whack on the other side. Sometimes you can still win the match with
one good side, but when both sides crack, you’re toast (Sorry).
If your egg does not crack, you
move up the line of contenders until the last man standing has a perfect egg or
one good side left. He or she is the winner!
What’s the prize? You
get to eat your egg first and have good luck for the year, a prize worth
coveting.
At our house, we still carry on
this tradition each year only we use my favorite colored eggs and we compete at
breakfast. Contestants pick their favorite color but the rest of the game
remains traditional with a lot of fun and laughs!
I have since learned that other
countries have similar traditions such as Greece, the Ukraine, and Estonia
among a few .I would love to visit Armenia, but haven’t as of yet, but I have
visited Estonia. The Estonians celebrate Easter in a big way as well with a big
mid- day dinner, an Easter egg hunt, and egg painting. Similar to the Armenian
tradition, the eggs are dyed with red onion skins or beetroot juice before
setting them on a platter as a centerpiece for Easter lunch. After lunch, the
egg cracking begins. If your egg is not cracked, you are the winner.
Very beautiful hand painted and
decorated eggs are also part of Estonia’s traditions. I remember we went into a
small coffee shop near Lake Bled and its castle and the proprietor hand painted
the hollow eggs herself. To my surprise, my husband bought one and saved it for
my Christmas stocking.
So this holiday, try something fun
and different with your family. Celebrate with an egg cracking contest and
start your own Armenian tradition.
