Growing up we just thought cracking eggs was fun and all we wanted to do was be the winner. Easter or pascha in greek is the greatest celebration of the eastern orthodox church, honored by various customs and religious ceremonies. It is my understanding that in certain eastern orthodox traditions, on easter sunday, either at, during, or after the divine liturgy, easter eggs are handed out or exchanged. This traditionwhile fun as a gamehas the symbolism of resurrection and new life. In greece, the actual easter festival begins several days before easter.
This tradition is in remembrance of the mark made on. Red eggs kokkina avga are a traditional part of the greek easter sunday celebration. The tradition of cracking the greek easter eggs after christ has risen, symbolises the resurrection from the dead and the new life, just like a little chicken cracks the shell and comes to life. Traditionally we take these dyed russian easter eggs and take turns trying to crack each others. Learn about pascha the most important observance in the greek orthodox faith and its special easter traditions, like cracking red eggs. But it seems that only greeks have kept the tradition until today. Everyone chooses an egg and cracks it on top of another persons egg. Serbian orthodox easter share flipboard email print vgajicgetty images. The tradition of easter eggs in the orthodox church. This tradition while fun as a gamehas the symbolism of resurrection and new. One of the oldest easter traditions for greek orthodox christians are easter eggs dyed red. We are a loving, christcentered community, whose mission is to keep, practice and proclaim our orthodox.
The game is called tsougrisma in greek and it involves two players and red eggs. Serbian easter, like easter in the other eastern european countries, is a holiday replete with customs, ritual, color, and special dishes. Greek orthodox easter, tradition of cracking of the eggs. The red egg game is a tradition for greek easter the spruce eats. Before tapping the egg, they will say christ has risen. Nicholas greek orthodox church in new york city is the focus of a 60 minutes story on this weeks broadcast.
The traditional serbian easter greeting is hristos vaskrse christ has risen and is. How to dye red eggs for greek easter southern living. The red eggs are part of easter custom in many areas and often accompany other traditional easter foods. On the first hours of easter sunday and right after christ has risen we crack red eggs during dinner. Modern greeks continue the tradition of greek easter eggs by the book. Polish easter traditions from babka to polish easter eggs. At easter, eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of jesus that was shed on the cross for the redemption of all men. The next hes cracking red hardboiled eggs with his brother in the living room. Traditionally, easter eggs are dyed throughout the orthodox christian world on holy thursday, and they are dyed red to represent the redeeming blood of christ that was shed on the cross, the white egg before being dyed represents the white marble tomb were christs body was laid after he was taken down from the cross, and the hard shell of the egg symbolises the sealed tomb of christ.
Traditionally the egg is seen by christians as a symbol of life, resurrection, and rebirtha hard shell holding a new life within. Greek foods and traditions mark the season as uniquely hellenic. Families strive for cracking good time at a humbler orthodox easter skip to sections navigation. The traditions for celebrating easter vary across the country, but wherever you go in greece, youll find one common factor. Greek culture easter egg fighting with red easter eggs how to make greek easter eggs and how to fight them. Within our tradition we have a story of mary magdalene defending the orthodox. One person will hold the top of the egg and the other the bottom. At dinner, my father often played an egg cracking game, a greek orthodox custom, with other members of the family. Traditionally, easter eggs are dyed throughtout the orthodox christian world on easter thursday and are dyed red to represent the blood of christ, shed on the cross, while the hard shell of the egg symbolises the sealed tomb, whose cracking of which symbolises the resurrection. Why celebrate your birthday when you can celebrate your rebirth day, right. The egg itself represents the sealed tomb of jesus from which he emerged following his crucifixion.
The egg is seen by followers of christianity as a symbol of resurrection. Cracking easter eggs more greek easter celebration a greek orthodox easter cracking easter for and more greek easter celebration and recipes via a field of dreams. Greek easter traditions call for an interesting cultural experience, which has to do with cracking the eggs into each other. In the greek orthodox tradition, red eggs are also cracked together when people exchange easter greetings. The colored eggs were an important part of our easter traditions. Explanation of the rules and what it really symbolises for the greek orthodox people.
The eggs turn out an amazing blue color, check out the recipe here. The traditional game of cracking the greek easter eggs. Many cultures in orthodoxy dye their eggs red for easter. In english folk traditions, the game has variously been known as shackling.
Greeks call the practice tsougrisma, meaning to clink together. The timeless easter traditions of greece greek reporter. Early christians used eggs to symbolize the resurrection of jesus christ and the regeneration of believers. They are lovingly made, either with onion skins or dye and then woven and baked into a tsoureki threebraided easter bread signifying the holy trinity, used as table decorations, and are the key piece to a fun game called tsougrisma, which tests the eggs strengthand perhaps the players strategy. In the orthodox tradition, eggs are a symbol of new life. This tradition while fun as a gamehas the symbolism of resurrection and new life. The tradition of tsougrisma, or the cracking of the eggs, can take place on saturday evening or easter sunday, depending on each familys traditions. Red eggs are a traditional part of the greek easter sunday tradition, and are lovingly dyed. According to greek orthodox tradition, eggs are to be dyed on holy thursday in commemoration of the last supper, the final meal which jesus shared with his apostles in jerusalem before his crucifixion. When we get home, we crack eggs, eat cookies, drink hot chocolate so not greek and i burn a cross into our doorways with the carbon from the candle smoke to bless our house for the year. Each player holds a red egg, and one taps the end of herhis egg lightly against the end of the other players egg. At the end of the event, the children receive a commemorative wooden egg.
Egg tapping, or also known as egg fight, egg knocking, egg pacqueing, egg boxing, egg picking, egg chucking, or egg jarping is a traditional easter game. It is rooted in the earliest days of christianity and other religions, to the obvious implication is that the egg symbolizes the hatching of new life, the resurrection and rebirth of humanity. With all natural dyes, the longer the eggs sit in the natural dye, the deeper and darker the colors will be, regardless if you use white or brown eggs. Families strive for cracking good time at a humbler. Greek culinary easter traditions explained neos kosmos. In the greek orthodox tradition the rebirth of christ at easter overshadows his birth at christmas. In the orthodox church, easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of christ, and the hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed tomb of christ the cracking of which. To break it down, ive accumulated a list of commonly asked questions to distinguish the differences between western and orthodox, specifically greek orthodox, easter. Greek easter traditions you should know culture trip. Faster no knead bread so easy anyone can make crusty artisan bread. Greek orthodox, particularly in america are in fact a small part of a large. Having its roots in the greek orthodox tradition, children across europe and eastern countries play egg tapping. In greece, the hardboiled eggs are dyed a bright red.
In the greek orthodox religion, it isnt a proper easter celebration without eggs that have been dyed a. Greek orthodox easter, called pascha, is by far the most important feast for the greeks, celebrating the suffering and martyrdom of jesus christ as well as, his resurrection and the chance of rebirth for mankind, symbolized by the coming of spring. For orthodox christians, red eggs embody the meaning of. Decorated eggs are an important part of the orthodox easter tradition. They showed up in our easter baskets and were a centerpiece on our breakfast and dinner table. Here, we give you a day by day breakdown of the greek holy week to introduce you to the most essential greek easter traditions. Romanians paint hollowedout eggs in traditional colors of yellow, red, and black as well as a variety of other color combinations and patterns. Greek easter traditions greek orthodox easter food and. The game of cracking, or tsougrisma as the greeks call it, symbolizes the breaking. At the white house, children are invited to roll their eggs across the lawn. There is a game in which you crack your red egg against someone elses red egg hoping to have the strongest egg, which would indicate you getting a lot of good luck. Dyed greek easter eggs and how to win at the art of.
Celebrating pascha greek orthodox easter traditions. The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other. Preparations begin on holy thursday, when the tsoreki, or easter bread, is baked, and the eggs are dyed red, symbolizing the blood of christ many orthodox fast in the days leading up to easter, restricting themselves from meat, butter, milk and olive oil. The symbolism of cracking red eggs on easter greek reporter. It is a fun game for children and adults alike and symbolizes the resurrection of the lord. No, im not talking about christmas, im talking about easter, specifically greek easter, an event so big it even overshadows the birth of jesus. Rather, it is a festivity deeply rooted in tradition filled with church, lamb and red dyed eggs. There is tradition and meaning tied to the customs behind the eggs. In 2020, greek orthodox easter is celebrated on sunday, april 19th a week later than easter. Nicholas greek orthodox church and its tradition of dying eggs red. Orthodox christians will play a game of cracking eggs.
The red color represents the blood of jesus christ, whose resurrection is celebrated on the holiday of holidays throughout the greek world. Formula dictating the date requires the holiday to be celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal equinox according to julian calendar and it has to be after the jewish passover, in order to honor the original sequence of christs final days. According to the greek orthodox traditions, the cracking of eggs goes back many years. The winner is the one, whose egg will crack the eggs of all the other players. Cracking eggs tsougkrisma cracking or tapping eggs is a very old custom that used not only by greeks.
Greek easter eggs are chicken eggs, but not the usual ones they are boiled and painted red. On the first hours of easter sunday and right after christ has risen greek orthodox crack red eggs during dinner. According to ageold greek tradition, easter eggs are dyed red. On easter sunday, it is a tradition for greek and armenian families to gather and play a game of egg tapping. No churchgoing or lamb on the spit, but families still celebrated an orthodox easter like no other. While eggs may be dyed other colors in greece and commercial dyes are available, this oldfashioned method creates a deep, rich red color and its incredibly easy. Greeks dye easter eggs red kitoulas greek food journal. Greek easter eggs symbolism in color and cracking tradition videos.
The cracking tradition symbolizes christs resurrection from the dead and birth into. Later greek orthodox traditions say that the eggs are dyed red on holy thursday in commemoration of the last supper. An early tradition embraced by the greek church calls for coloring the eggs red to symbolize the blood sacrifice of. It is my understanding that in certain eastern orthodox traditions, on easter sunday. Each person cracked the pointy end of their egg against the other. If youre looking for a community where easters trappings really reflect its message, look no further than st. Holy week, for a greek orthodox, means you clear your calendar, you dont make plans for that week at all because you will be in church every day, and you fast. Serbians who celebrate easter generally follow the orthodox religious calendar, and they call the holiday vaskrs or uskrs. Explanations that eggs symbolize new life, or that the cracking of eggs. But they also have an important religious meaning in the holiday.
If you are planning on dying your eggs tomorrow will be the day to do so. The winner, then, uses the same end of the egg to tap the other, non cracked end of the opponents egg. Egg rolling is a symbolic reenactment of the stone rolling away from christs tomb. In particular, in the greek orthodox church, it is a hens egg that.