| My Chicken Diaries |
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   More History Trivia awaits in Chicken Scratches, Games for Eggheads | A CURIOUS HISTORY OF THE EGG Often considered common and mundane, the ubiquitous chicken egg has a long and at times, spirited history. Here are some interesting points in egg history that will have you well prepared for your next trivia contest. Throughout recorded history, the egg has been a symbol of fertility, creation and new life. Many egg traditions have ancient roots that have carried forward in various forms through the centuries of religious conversions, conquering armies, and changing cultural norms. While there are at least 200 officially recognized chicken breeds today, all chicken breeds today are decendants of the original domesticated breed, the Jungle Fowl of Southeast Asia, Domestication began between 3000 and 4000 BC. Around 3000 BC, Ancient Persian and Celtic cultures celebrated spring equinox with gifts of red-dyed eggs. In the Pagan world, the egg represents the world and the color red the "force of life". Exchanging eggs was a token of goodwill and a form of thanking the sun for warming the Earth in the spring so new life could sprout anew. The Pagan egg gifting rituals during spring equinox were the foundations from which the Christian celebration of Easter grew. Ninth century Christians were banned from eating eggs during Lent. Since eggs couldn't be eaten for six weeks, they were saved. When Lent ended with the arrival of Easter, the saved eggs were given as gifts to children and servants at the end of Lent. Egg wars were popular throughout Medieval Europe on Easter Sunday. They were known to last for several hours during Easter services. (Maybe that's how the Easter bonnet gained it's fame - to protect heads from hurling eggs. ha ha) Eggs reached their height of popularity in the Czar's court in 19th century Russia. The court's jeweler, a man by the name of Faberge, started designing and creating what are now internationally known and acclaimed as the Faberge Eggs. Examples of jeweled eggs are shown in the strip to the left. It was the Pensylvania Dutch who brought the custom of coloring eggs to the United States in the early 1700's. Household records of Edward I of England show that in year 1280 he paid 18 pence for 450 eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gift-giving. Centuries later, Queen Victoria of England became a very avid chicken fancier. Among her favorite breeds were Chittagongs, now called Brahmas, and Chinese Shanghais, now called Cochins. She had chicken coops and breeding facilities added to all royal properties in the 1800's. This British chicken fancying tradition has passed down through the generations. Present day, Prince Charles boasts a prize-winning flock. Other long-standing egg customs have passed from generation to generation. In Germany one hangs red eggs in evergreen trees as a powerful ancient symbol of rebirth and renewal. Greeks dye eggs a symbolic scarlet and bake them into sweet breads. In China, at the one month birthday of an infant, the infant is presented in a Baby Naming Ceremony. At its conclusion, the parents of the newly born and now ceremoniously name baby, hand out red-dyed eggs at the end to symbolize happiness and the renewal of life.Eggs have even played a role in wedding ceremonies. In earlier centuries along the Indus River, the wedding ceremony consisted of the bride and groom tossing an egg back and forth between their sleeves. In Java in the 1700's, the groom walked around raw eggs. The bride was expected to clean up after him and to wash his feet. The degree to which he remained as unsoiled as possible was considered to be an indication of his love for her. And, we close with a custom that you can check out each year for yourself. It is said that eggs laid on Good Friday and eaten on Easter Sunday are said to protect one against fever for the whole year through. Next time, someone tells you to "Go lay an egg" you can think of this long tradition and history and you will now have some great esoteric trivia with which to answer in reply. ***
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