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The History of Hiding Easter Eggs in the Yard
Though lawn care services can often add color to your lawns, someone comes along once a year to best their colorful efforts. The Easter Bunny arrives every holiday to add some unexpected color and delight to your lawn, hiding painted eggs all over your trees, shrubs and greenery. Easter Sunday is a holiday rich in meaning and tradition, not only for religious reasons. This holiday is often marked by family gatherings, church celebrations, pastel colors, Spring dresses and baskets of candy.
But where did the practice of an Easter Egg Hunt come from? And why dye the hard-boiled chicken eggs in a variety of colors and styles?
The Origin of the Easter Egg
Spring is a period of rebirth, and the best symbol for a season of renewal and rebirth is an egg. Historians say that an egg has been used to represent Easter since the 13th century, yet there is some debate over the original meaning of the egg. It could have become an important part of Easter because Christians viewed it as a symbol of Jesus emerging from the tomb. It might have started with pagans, who considered the egg a symbol of new life. Pagans might have used the food as a regular part of springtime celebrations.
Still more people say eggs are used to represent Easter because, back then, Lent fasting involved not eating any animal products. The hard-boiling of eggs allowed them to keep longer, as well.
On Easter, a gift of eggs was marked to celebrate the day.
But why are they decorated?
Coloring and Designing Eggs
One motive behind the coloring of Easter eggs might be because it marked the end of the Lenten fast. It might have been a means of celebrating the food that helped people survive the fast, by decorating their hard outer shells.
Another possible reason for the coloring is to express the joy English villagers felt every Easter over the resurrection of Jesus Christ, originally coloring the eggs a solid red.
Still, an endless array of designs is now available to decorate your eggs, so they can really stand out on your lawns during the hunt. These designs can be multicolored, using shapes and lines. It can take hours to decorate the eggs elaborately.
The Origin of the Easter Bunny and Easter Egg Hunts
The Pennsylvania Dutch may have started Easter egg hunts during the 1700s, who created the myth that a hare named ‘Oschter Haws’ who hid eggs in the grass. Then, children would build nests and gather the hidden eggs into them. This tradition has continued, to some extent, with Easter baskets and fake mounds of plastic green “grass.”
This tradition can be celebrated by families and full communities, even at the White House. Many local groups hold annual Easter egg hunts as a way to bring people together to let kids run and search for eggs and candy.
International Easter Egg Traditions
Easter eggs first appeared centuries ago, perhaps for many different reasons, but the tradition now gives families and communities a chance throughout the world to have some fun. For instance, Finnish children receive chocolate eggs every Easter, and they parade the streets dressed as witches and carrying feather-adorned willow twigs and branches.
French people use 4,500 eggs to create a giant omelet in the Haux town square. The omelet feeds 1,000 people, and Napoleon and his soldiers began the tradition when they were stranded in southern France and needed the town to feed them.
Best Egg Hiding Places
If you’re hosting an Easter egg hunt with guests on your lawn for the special day, it might be beneficial to touch up your lawn maintenance by hiring tree and shrub care services. You might also want to check with lawn care experts on LawnCare.net to make sure your lawn is colorful and healthy.
When hiding eggs, be mindful of shrubs, trees, and plants, making sure that they are within reach of the children on the hunt. Also, be sure to avoid toxic plants and potential pests’ nesting grounds when you hide the eggs. It might be wise to invest in mosquito control to ensure they will not be a nuisance during your Easter festivities, as spring is when mosquitos begin to appear. Be mindful. Be careful. And keep track of all the hiding places so that you’ll know when then hunt is done.
For assistance with preparing your lawn for Easter festivities, do not hesitate to reach out to us here at LawnCare.Net. We can connect you with our network of lawn care experts that can provide you with services and lawn care plans specifically tailored to help your outdoor space look its best.