the tradition of easter eggs originated in mesopotamia.
the tradition of easter eggs originated in mesopotamia.
where did the tradition of easter eggs originate?
mesopotamia
easter eggs, also called paschal eggs, are eggs that are sometimes decorated. they are usually used as gifts on the occasion of easter. as such, easter eggs are common during the season of eastertide (easter season). the oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs wrapped in colored foil, hand-carved wooden eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as chocolate. however, real eggs continue to be used in central and eastern european tradition. although eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth, in christianity, for the celebration of eastertide, easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of jesus, from which jesus resurrected. in addition, one ancient tradition was the staining of easter eggs with the colour red "in memory of the blood of christ, shed as at that time of his crucifixion." this custom of the easter egg can be traced to early christians of mesopotamia, and from there it spread into russia and siberia through the orthodox churches, and later into europe through the catholic and protestant churches. this christian use of eggs may have been influenced by practices in "pre-dynastic period in egypt, as well as amid the early cultures of mesopotamia and crete."
easter egg
while the production does not use linking elements, the series has included allusions and easter eggs from previous episodes into later ones. for example, "hated in the nation" in the third series calls back to the events of both the first series episode "the national anthem" and the second series episode "white bear", while the final episode of the fourth series "black museum" includes references to each prior episode of the series. some of these are for the ease of reusing a name developed in a prior episode; for example, they created the fictional "ukn" broadcast network for handling news reports that drive stories, while the pizza delivery company used in "uss callister" was used again for a company running automated pizza trucks in "crocodile". other easter eggs were added as they knew viewers would be intensely dissecting the episodes and provided these as gags. however, over time the use of easter eggs became more purposeful, as to establish a canon of the "dream universe" that the episodes take place in. brooker noted that when they opted to reuse a cover of irma thomas' "anyone who knows what love is", first introduced in "fifteen million merits", for "white christmas", as "it does sort of nest the whole thing together in some kind of artistic universe". in describing the nature of easter eggs in the standalone film "", brooker alluded to dialogue said by character colin ritman that spoke towards alternate realities, and suggested that their use of easter eggs to previous episodes helps to connect all these stories, but not necessarily within the same reality or timeline. however, brooker asserted that the easter eggs in "black mirror" are only there "as an extra bit of texture for fans of the show", and not meant to fully construct an atlas of "black mirror" episodes that becomes essential for understanding any episode.
black mirror