The Fifth Day of Pascha:
Teaching 9
(The Origin and Meaning of the Custom of Giving Each Other Red Eggs on Pascha)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Teaching 9
(The Origin and Meaning of the Custom of Giving Each Other Red Eggs on Pascha)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. As you know, during the Paschal celebrations, Orthodox Christians use red eggs. During the days of Pascha, no meal is complete without these eggs, neither for the rich nor for the poor. We give each other these eggs with joyful greetings and kisses. And not only we, the Orthodox Russians, have this custom, but all Christians, throughout the Christian world. When did this custom appear among Christians and what is the significance of this custom?
II. It is known that, out of a feeling of heartfelt love, people who sympathize with each other are ready to share, in case of need, their last piece of bread; out of the same love, they are also glad at any time to share with each other, now this, now that, to express their mutual good feelings, especially in the event of some solemn events in the life of one or another of those close to their hearts. This is the beginning of our mutual gifts to each other on the days of our family holidays, on the occasion, for example, of births, name days, weddings, etc. On the day of one’s angel, or on the birthdays of children, parents usually bestow upon them various gifts; in turn, in such instances, children also strive, in some way, to express their love towards their parents. – It is still quite common for relatives and acquaintances to visit their loved ones during holidays with some kind of gift, most often with bread and salt. This custom must have existed among all peoples in ancient times; at least, such a custom existed in the East in deep antiquity, even in pre-Christian times. Among the Jews, as well as among pagans, it was customary in ancient times to approach important figures only with gifts: the wealthy would come bearing more valuable offerings, while the poor would bring, at the very least, some fruits or an egg. And in the Holy Gospel it is said that the Magi appeared to the newborn King of the Jews with gifts - gold, myrrh and frankincense. Following this custom, as the most ancient tradition says, Mary Magdalene, when she appeared with a sermon about Christ to the Roman Caesar Tiberius, presented him with a red egg as a gift. And due to the poverty of the zealous preacher of the Christian faith, and due to her Christian wisdom, this was the most suitable gift for Caesar. The red egg, according to the same tradition, gave the Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene the opportunity to clearly explain those holy truths that she had to proclaim to Caesar, namely, the truth of the Resurrection of Christ and our general resurrection. In one of the most ancient books, preserved by the Greeks, from whom, as is known, we received the Christian faith, and along with it the custom of eating red eggs on the days of Pascha, it is written that they had such a custom in the monasteries: “On the day of Pascha, the abbot, having read the prayer for the blessing of eggs and cheese, kisses the brethren and distributes the eggs to them, saying: 'Christ is risen!' Thus we received from the Holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very times of the Apostles, for the Holy Equal to the Apostles Mary Magdalene was the first to show believers an example of this joyful gift.”
And this gift is wise, we will add. It does not burden either the rich or the poor, due to its insignificance, and at the same time it can always be an expression of our mutual, brotherly, Christian love, uniting everyone. This generally accepted mutual gift between Christians is apparently insignificant, and yet how significant it is.
"Christ is risen!" began the sermon of Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles, on the most important and inaccessible for a pagan Christian truth, and with her significant gift she clearly showed Caesar that Jesus, unjustly crucified under Pontius Pilate, was truly risen from the tomb, just as a living chick rises to life from an eggshell.
The red color of the egg gave her the reason to explain that the deceased Divine Sufferer redeemed the sinful human race from sin and death with His blood and brought people the greatest joy in the salvation granted to them. The same red egg, in the hands of a wise preacher of Christianity, was a visual sermon about the joyful resurrection of all believers in Christ. The same significant meaning of the red egg remains to this day for us Christians.
III. Thus, exchanging the Paschal greeting with one another and presenting each other with the gift of Paschal eggs, let us, pious listeners, also feel in our hearts that we are all brothers in Christ, and are obliged to mutually love and respect one another. "It is the day of Resurrection; let us be radiant for the festival, and let us embrace one another. Let us say, O brethren, even to those that hate us: Let us forgive all things on the Resurrection,” as is chanted in one Paschal hymn. Therefore, in the Paschal red eggs that we now use, let us see a visual image of the all-joyful Resurrection of Christ, our Savior, after His bloody suffering and death on the cross, for our salvation. In this same symbol of the Resurrection of Christ, let us see a visual image of our resurrection for eternal life.
Yes, my friends, there will be a time when, in the likeness of our Risen Savior, our dead bodies, enclosed in tombs like eggshells, will come to life, and, united with souls, will rise from the earth, and we, by the mercy of the Lord who died and rose for us, like heavenly chicks, like heavenly angels, will soar into the heavens, for the eternal and blessed glorification of the Lord.
Grant, O Lord, that we may all celebrate Your Pascha forever in the never-ending days of Your kingdom!
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
