Page 117 - Southern Oregon Magazine Spring 2019

Fast). As a result, many European coun-
tries have traditional Easter foods that
incorporate hard-boiled eggs.

Over the ages, the decorating of Easter
eggs has grown and evolved. There are
some truly beautiful decorated eggs
throughout modern history. It has
become an artform in its own right—
from the Fabergé Eggs of 19th century
Russia to the beautiful, modern decora-
tive eggs. It’s a long way to travel from
the original monochromatic form. But
maybe we keep that history somewhere
in our stained fingers and monochro-
matic eggs we make with our families
every year.

The history of Easter eggs is nuanced and Del Rio Vineyards Estate’s
complex. My first thought, I suspect the
same as others, was what on earth does
the egg have to do with Easter? It turns
out, quite a bit. I wanted to know which
came first, the Christian or the egg? From
that initial somewhat cheeky question, I
found a rich history steeped in tradition,
theology and practicality. Like every food
tradition, there’s way more to it than you
get at a cursory glance.

There is no doubt that the early Christians
were using a pre-existing symbol of life
and rebirth. It was cultural assimilation:
a theological reassignment to an existing
concept. Early Christians didn’t steal the
egg as a symbol, they took the symbol
that everyone understood and tacked on
additional meaning and religious signifi-
cance. There was not only a ready supply
of eggs, but also a ready supply of fol-
lowers primed for the theological signifi-
cance of the egg.

The answer to my question is—the egg,
but it’s complicated. And it doesn’t come
out of left field as much as you might first
suspect.

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