For centuries, the egg has been a symbol of the rebirth of life, which, hidden within it, grows slowly.
Eggs are dyed red on Maundy Thursday as a reminder of the Last Supper, when Christ shared bread and wine with his disciples, symbols of his body and blood that he offered as a sacrifice on the Cross to liberate the world.
The red color of the eggs, therefore, symbolizes the blood that Christ shed on the Cross and his holy Passion, which Christians will witness in church on Maundy Thursday evening. However, it also symbolizes the joy of the Resurrection.
The red color is also associated with a folk tradition, according to which the Virgin Mary took a basket of eggs and gave them to Jesus' guards, begging them not to torture him.
When her tears fell on the eggs, they turned red. Housewives used to place the first red egg they dyed on the icon shrine in their home. From the afternoon of Maundy Thursday and throughout Good Friday, housewives do not do any housework out of respect for the Divine Passion.
After the Resurrection service, Christians crack their eggs together, saying to each other, "Christ is Risen!", "Indeed, He is Risen!".
The cracking of the eggs symbolizes the victory of life over death and whoever breaks the eggs of others is considered blessed.
What the local experts say
Interview's main points
"Symbolism of the Egg: The egg is closed, reminiscent of a tomb, the tomb of Lazarus, of Christ. However, when the egg breaks, the chick emerges, a new life, and nature reminds us that not everything ends in the grave. Our religion believes that death is a temporary state, it is a sleep, which is why we call cemeteries 'dormitories' (koimitiria), because we believe in eternal life, in the resurrection that begins with the Resurrection of Christ, which is foreshadowed by the resurrection of Lazarus on the Saturday before Holy Week. On Lazarus Saturday morning, little girls with baskets decorated with wildflowers went from house to house singing the Lazarus carols, which foretold the joy of the Resurrection that would follow. Housewives usually gave the girls eggs, which they kept and dyed red on Maundy Thursday. On Easter Sunday night, we crack the red eggs together, breaking them to signify the continuation of life, the victory of Christ over death, decay, and evil, and the parallel victory of Life, good, and truth, with one person saying, 'Christ is Risen' ('Christos Anesti') and the other responding, 'Indeed, He is Risen' ('Alithos Anesti'). The sound of the red egg cracking, the confirmation of the Resurrection event with the greeting of the faithful while cracking the eggs, and the sounds of firecrackers emphasize the victory of Life thanks to the Resurrection of Christ."
"Eggs are dyed red because of the blood of Christ. However, they are also dyed red because red is the color of joy and life. In spring, red is present in nature; you see poppies all around you, so it also symbolizes joy. There is also a folk tradition that says when the Virgin Mary was near her Crucified Son, she tried to bribe the guards with eggs, and as soon as she saw her Child dying on the Cross, she wept, and the eggs were immediately dyed red. The first red egg that the housewife dyes, along with the first Easter bread (tsoureki) that she makes round with a cross in the middle, she places on the iconostasis (home altar) on Maundy Thursday."
"We dye the eggs on Maundy Thursday. All the housework is finished on that day; the eggs have been dyed early, the house has been cleaned, and the Easter cookies and sweet breads (tsourekia) have been made, because on the afternoon of Holy Thursday, in church, we have the culmination of the Divine Drama with the Crucifixion of Christ. Good Friday is the saddest day of the year because the burial and procession of the Epitaph take place. Housewives didn't even cook. Imagine that my grandmother had boiled legumes from the day before without any oil, maybe a little lettuce; she didn't cook at all on Good Friday."
