Little Easter wonders

• Dyeing Easter eggs dates to the Persians.

K.K. Snyder

ALBANY — Long gone are the days when everybody decorated Easter eggs by dropping food color tablets into glasses of smelly white vinegar and fished the eggs out with a crooked wire.

USING NATURAL EGG DYES Below is the preferred method for using natural dyes. You can use fresh and frozen berries as “paints,” too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try coloring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them. Place the eggs in a single layer in a pan. Add water until the eggs are covered. Add approximately 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Add the natural dye (see below for desired colors). Use more dye material for more eggs or for a more intense color. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. If you are pleased with the color, remove the eggs from the liquid. If you want more intensely colored eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them remain in the refrigerator overnight. LAVENDER — Small quantity of purple grape juice; violet blossoms plus two teaspoons of lemon juice VIOLET BLUE — Violet blossoms; small quantity of red onion skins (boiled) BLUE — Canned blueberries; red cabbage leaves (boiled); purple grape juice GREEN — Spinach leaves (boiled); liquid chlorophyll GREENISH YELLOW — Yellow delicious apple peels (boiled) YELLOW — Boil any of the following: orange or lemon peels; carrot tops; celery seed; ground cumin; ground turmeric BROWN — Strong coffee; instant coffee; black walnut shells (boiled) ORANGE — Yellow onion skins (boiled) PINK — Beets; cranberries or juice; raspberries; red grape juice; juice from pickled beets RED — Lots of red onion skins (boiled)

Today, these traditional treasures may be found hand-painted, glittered, air brushed, crackled, mosaic, tie-dyed, sprayed or covered with stickers, each as individual as the next.

The centuries old practice of coloring these symbols of fertility and new life for Easter has a number of origins, but it’s believed that the tradition began more than 5,000 years ago when Persians first began using colored eggs to celebrate spring in 3000 B.C.

On the first day of spring, they would give each other an egg dyed red. By the 13th century, Macedonians became the first Christians known to use colored eggs in their Easter celebrations. Crusaders returning from the Middle East spread the custom of coloring eggs to Europeans.

Early practices included painting eggs the colors of spring to use in egg rolling contests or to present as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines. In medieval time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts.

Austrian artists design patterns by fastening ferns and tiny plants around the eggs, which are then boiled. The plants are then removed revealing a striking white pattern. The Poles and Ukrainians decorate eggs with simple designs and colors. A number of eggs are made in the distinctive manner called pysanki (to design, to write).

Pysanki eggs are a masterpiece of skill and workmanship. Melted beeswax is applied to the fresh white egg. It is then dipped in successive baths of dye. After each dip wax is painted over the area where the preceding color is to remain. Eventually a complex pattern of lines and colors emerges into a work of art.

Likely the most familiar of decorated eggs are the priceless Faberg{‘e} eggs, exquisite jeweled Easter eggs created for the Russian Imperial Court. And while your Easter eggs may not become valuable treasures sought after around the world, egg decorating can be a fun activity for the entire family.

Choosing a method for decorating eggs should be based on the difficulty and the age of the decorators. Kits galore exist for dozens of decorating methods, and most are very economical. Some kits are ideal for young children as they can write or draw on boiled eggs with crayons before putting them in traditional dye, which won’t color the area with the crayon wax. Other kits may require more sophisticated processes to create glittered, crackled or mosaic eggs. One of the oldest egg decorating kit companies is PAAS.

“PAAS is all about family time, parents and children creating memories around the kitchen table,” said Jim Schneider, president and CEO of Signature Brands, which owns and distributes PAAS.

“In the fast paced world we live in, there is nostalgia for simpler times and family traditions,” he added. “There is something very special about a handmade Easter egg from a child or grandchild. For a colorful basket, or for a family egg hunt in the backyard, these are memories that will last a lifetime. We’ve been in business for six generations, that says something about tradition.”

Through customer surveys, PAAS discovered that 90 percent of American families will decorate eggs this Easter, with purple being the favorite egg color by an overwhelming margin of 36 percent, followed by teal and denim blue. Families typically dye and decorate between one and two dozen.

Eighty-three percent of those surveyed plan to eat their eggs, 70 percent will use them for Easter egg hunts, 65 percent as decorations and 15 percent as gifts to loved ones.

Whatever is done with the eggs once they are decorated, creating this tiny works of art can provide hours of pleasure for children and adults alike. For more tips and information on decorating Easter eggs, visit www.passeastereggs.com.

K.K. Snyder is a freelance writer who resides in metro Albany.