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Easter Eggs Eggs were colored, blessed, exchanged and eaten as part of the rites of spring long before Christian times. Even the earliest civilizations held springtime festivals to welcome the sun's rising from its long winter sleep. They thought of the sun's return from darkness as an annual miracle and regarded the egg as a natural wonder and a proof of the renewal of life. As Christianity spread, the egg was adopted as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection from the tomb. For centuries, eggs were among the foods forbidden by the church during Lent, so it was a special treat to have them again at Easter. In Slavic countries, baskets of food including eggs are traditionally taken to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday or before the Easter midnight Mass, then taken home for a part of Easter breakfast. People in central European countries have a long tradition of elaborately decorated Easter eggs. Polish, Slavic and Ukrainian people create amazingly intricate designs on the eggs. They draw lines with a wax pencil or stylus, dip the egg in color and repeat the process many times to make true works of art. Every dot and line in the pattern has a meaning. Yugoslavian Easter eggs bear the initials "XV" for "Christ is Risen," a traditional Easter greeting. The Russians, during the reign of the tsars, celebrated Easter much more elaborately than Christmas, with Easter breads and other special foods and quantities of decorated eggs given as gifts. The Russian royal family carried the custom to great lengths, giving exquisitely detailed jeweled eggs made by goldsmith Carl Faberge from the 1880's until 1917. In Germany and other countries of central Europe, eggs that go into Easter foods are not broken, but emptied out. The empty shells are painted and decorated with bits of lace, cloth or ribbon, then hung with ribbons on an evergreen or small leafless tree. On the third Sunday before Easter, Moravian village girls used to carry a tree decorated with eggshells and flowers from house to house for good luck. The eggshell tree is one of several Easter Traditions carried to America by German settlers especially those who became known as Pennsylvania Dutch. They also brought the fable that the Easter bunny delivered colored eggs for good children. Easter is an especially happy time for children and many Easter customs are for their enjoyment. Hunting Easter eggs hidden around the house or yard is a universal custom and so are egg-rolling contests.   Egg Protein - Inexpensive Protein is an essential part of a nutritious diet but, for many people, foods that supply protein are some of the most expensive items on their grocery list. Fortunately, the protein supplied by eggs is both high in quality and low in cost.  In a USDA study comparing the cost of different sources of protein, eggs and beef liver were rated as two of the best protein buys*. It's easy to compare the price of eggs to the price of other protein foods.  A dozen Large eggs weighs 1 1/2 pounds, so the price per pound of Large eggs = 2/3 of the price per dozen. For example, if the Large eggs cost 90 cents per dozen, they would be 60 cents per pound.  At $1.20 per dozen, they're only 80 cents per pound. Another helpful formula is 1 egg=1ounce of lean meat, fish or poultry.  This means that you can use 2 eggs as a substitute for other protein foods as your main dish at a meal or you can use eggs to "stretch" more expensive protein foods.  For instance, you might use 1 chopped hard-cooked egg per serving along with half the usual amount per serving of an expensive seafood in a casserole. * USDA, Human Nutrition Information Service.  Costs of Meats and Meat alternates.  Washington, D.C. (December, 1984) U.S. Government Printing Office. Related Words  Protein Equinox Either of the two times each year when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are of equal length everywhere. During the spring (vernal) equinox (about March 21), it is said that an egg will stand on its small end. Although some people have reported success, it is not known whether such results were due to the equinox or to the peculiarities of that particular egg. Others insist that some eggs will stand on their small ends at any time of the year.   Expiration Date A date on an egg carton beyond which the eggs should not be sold. Related Words  Carton Dates