Although this post is not about cooking, I thought it may be interesting to some of you. Here, you will learn how to decorate Easter eggs, using different techniques. Dying eggs is great fun for children and adults, alike. Some of these techniques are traditionally used in the Balkans, and others are more contemporary. But they all create beautifully-looking Easter eggs.

History of the Easter Egg.

The painted red Easter egg is an important symbol in Orthodox Christianity and represents “The Rebirth of Christ”.

However, the history of the decorated egg started long before Christianity. The oldest engraved eggshells, featuring hatched patterns, were found in the Diepkloof Rock Shelter in South Africa. It is believed that they date 60 000 years ago.

In cultures like ancient Rome, Egypt, Persia and China, the egg symbolised the rebirth of nature, which was often celebrated by decorating eggs.

Why is the Easter egg traditionally red?

There are many tales about the red Easter egg, and how it became to represent “the blood of Jesus Christ” in Orthodox Christianity.

One story tells that after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, Mary Magdalene boldly presented herself in front of Emperor Tiberius, Caesar of Rome, and proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ. She had an egg in her hand as a symbol of the resurrection. The Emperor did not take her seriously and told her that he would believe only if he saw a miracle, and a miracle happened. The egg she was holding miraculously turned red.

Another tale reveals that Mary Magdalena brought a basket of eggs to the guards who crucified Christ with a plea to let him go free. A drop of Christ’s blood fell on the eggs, and the eggs turned red.

Easter traditions in the Balkans.

According to the Christian Orthodox tradition, eggs are painted on Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday before Easter. Traditionally, the decorated eggs are taken to the church on Saturday night for “liturgy’ for the priest to bless them. The Easter eggs are then consumed on Easter Day and the week following Easter.

Nowadays, Easter eggs are decorated in a variety of colours. But the tradition is that the first Easter egg must always be painted in red and is kept until the following Easter as an omen of good health in the household.

Another popular Easter tradition in the Balkans is the egg-tapping game which is played on Easter morning with painted eggs. We call this game an “egg fight”. The game is played in pairs. All participants choose a painted egg. One participant holds an egg with the top end pointing up, while another participant taps the top of his egg into the egg until one of the eggs breaks. The winner plays with the rest of the participants. The game is played until only one person has a whole/unbroken egg. This person is the winner of the game.

Painting eggs can be a lot of fun, but you need to prepare in advance. You will need special dyes for colouring eggs and white eggs. Sadly, it is quite difficult to find white hen’s eggs in the UK, but white duck eggs can be used, too. They are easier to find in supermarkets.

Egg dyes are easy to find on the internet.

Different techniques for decorating eggs.

When I was a child, my mum and I used to dye a lot of eggs for Easter. Now, I decorate only a few to keep the tradition alive.

Using good quality dyes, specially designed for egg painting, is important. First, because they are edible dyes, but also because their colours are stronger. I have tried painting eggs with natural dyes and food colouring. Most of these techniques do not work well, especially on brown eggs.

Hard-boil the eggs. To do that keep place the eggs in a large pot with warm water. Place the pot on the hob and bring the water to a boil. Leave the eggs for 15 minutes from the moment the water in the pot reaches a full boil.

Dyeing EASTER eggs.

This is the easiest of all techniques. You will need as many small bowls as the colours you have.

Fill the bowls with enough water to cover the egg when you place it inside.

Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and one colour dye to each bowl. Stir well until the dye is dissolved. Use a separate spoon for each bowl of colour.

Place the eggs, while still warm, in the bowls of dye. Leave the eggs to soak for at least 10-15 minutes. The longer you leave the egg in the dye, the darker the colour will be.

Use gloves because strong dyes can colour your hands at the touch.

Painting eggs with crayons.

This is an easy technique and is entertaining for children of all ages.

Prepare your bowls with dyes and a spoon for each bowl.

Draw shapes on the surface of hard-boiled eggs with crayons, then place the egg in a spoon and lower it carefully into the bowl with the dye.

Decorating eggs with flowers and leaf shapes.

Gather pretty leaves and flat flowers, like violets or daisies from your garden.

Prepare your bowls with dyes and a spoon for each bowl.

Place a leaf and a flower over a hard-boiled egg.

Cover the egg with a muslin cloth tightly to keep the leaf in place. Tie the muslin cloth in a knot on the back of the egg and lower the egg in the muslin cloth in the dye.

Leave the egg to soak in the dye for at least 10 minutes.

Dyeing eggs in cotton wool.

This technique can be used with one colour or with different colours to create interesting patterns on the eggs.

Prepare your bowls with dyes and a spoon for each bowl.

Cut a piece of cotton wool, just enough to cover the whole egg.

Spoon different colours of dye liquid on the cotton wool and cover the hard-boiled egg with the cotton wool.

Press the damp wool to the egg surface and close it around the egg. Spoon more dye on the outside of the cotton wool to mix more colours.

Keep the egg inside the cotton wool for 15 minutes to absorb the colours.

Again, the longer you leave the egg in the cotton wool, their colours will be more powerful.

Decorating eggs with adhesive paper cut-offs.

Another favourite technique of mine is to make cut-offs in different shapes from the adhesive paper: flowers, dots or other shapes.

Prepare your bowls with dyes and a spoon for each bowl.

Stick the cut-offs on hard-boiled eggs before placing them in the dye.

Shapes can be created also by placing plastic bands over the eggs to create interesting shapes.

Place the egg inside the spoon, then lower it into the bowl with the dye.

Leave the egg in the dye for at least 15 minutes.

Dyeing eggs in onion skins.

To colour eggs in onion skins, you will need dry outer skins from a larger onion.

Prepare the bowls with the diluted dyes and a separate spoon for each bowl.

Cover the egg with a single layer of onion skins. The skins can overlap in places.

Secure the onion skins with an elastic band to keep them in place.

Place the wrapped egg in a spoon and lower it into the bowl of dye. Let it soak in the dye for at least 15 minutes.

Painting eggs with wax.

In the picture below on the left, you can see beautiful Easter eggs created by professionals using a wax pen and melted wax. The detail and precision in the drawings are amazing.

If you are not that good at drawing, or if you do not have the equipment, don’t worry! Even a few scratches with a wax candle on a hard-boiled egg can create interesting patterns.

Prepare your bowls with dyes and a spoon for each bowl.

Make a drawing or scratch over the shell of the egg.

Place the egg in a spoon and lower it into a bowl with dye. Let it soak for 15 minutes.

Painting eggs with a chalk marker.

This easy technique can be used by anyone. Source a non-toxic white chalk marker. You can buy them on the internet.

Prepare your bowls with dyes and a spoon for each bowl.

Place the egg in a spoon, and lower it into the bowl with the dye. Let it stay in the dye for 15 minutes.

Decorating eggs with a collage technique.

I find this technique a bit challenging but the eggs decorated with it look very pretty.

Source fine paper napkins with beautiful flowers or other interesting patterns. The same can be used technique with gold or silver leaf.

Peel the top layer of a paper napkin and cover the egg with it. It helps if you make the napkin damp by brushing it with a wet hand. Be careful not to make the paper too wet because it will break.

Gently smoothen any wrinkles or folds from the napkin on the egg. Be patient and do not despair, it is not an easy thing to do.

Brush the napkin paper over the egg with egg white. When the egg white dries, it will keep the paper in place.

Cut the excess paper on the back of the egg and brush the edge with egg white to seal the ends in place. Leave the decorated eggs to dry completely.