Eggs: Eggs as Myths and Symbols

In addition to their use for food, eggs symbolize life and rebirth in Easter and Passover celebrations. In Catholicism’s stricter past, eggs were forbidden during Lent, so people saved them to eat on Easter Sunday, sometimes incorporating them into rich breads. Often, these breads had hard-cooked eggs, which were sometimes dyed, nestled in the dough. These traditions are kept alive in America and are exemplified by various Easter sweet breads, like Greek lambrópsomo, Russian kulich and choerek, French echauds aux ouefs de Paques, and Italian colomba (also colomba de Pasqua), an Easter bread baked in the shape of a dove. In addition to eggs and butter, most of these special breads also contain fruits, nuts, and spices. A roasted egg is part of the Passover seder, celebrating rebirth and regrowth.