Color, kids
and Easter
'When I'm done with my egg
I'm going to use it to play baseball ...
We play with metal bats.'
Colored tissue paper, glue, imagination -- that's all Ann Nakayama's students needed to transform plain white eggs into eye-catching decorations for Easter. The Aina Haina Elementary School second-graders used two techniques to embellish their blown eggs. Some molded pieces of tissue paper into tiny balls which they pasted onto their eggs. Others tore the tissue into irregular shapes and glued them on, producing a stained-glass effect.The young artisans shared thoughts about Easter and tips on how you can make your own keepsake.
Choosing colors
Matthew Cisneros: "I'm going to use blue, orange, purple, green, yellow and pink -- all the colors -- because I want my egg to look like a rainbow. I saw a nice big rainbow on my way to school today, and when I'm done with my egg it's going to look just like that."Shannon Rose: "I like yellow and pink because they're happy colors that make me think of flowers. Yellow also makes me think of the sun."
Anuhea Gillis: "You can use any colors you want but not ugly colors like black and gray because when you decorate an egg you think of Easter and when you think of Easter you think of bright colors. Black and gray are for Halloween."
Kayla Chee: "We use bright colors to decorate eggs for Easter because in the spring, flowers grow to be bright and beautiful. The only time they're not beautiful is when the plant is dead."
Ben Friedenberg: "I picked orange, green and blue. They're my favorite colors. I like orange because it's bright, and green and blue remind me of the sky and trees and grass. And that reminds me of spring."
Decorating an egg
Kayla Chee: "You can use all kinds of colors and make different designs like stripes and wavy lines and circles. You can make anything you want; you just have to use your imagination."Chase Akasaki: "If your egg looks ugly to you, you can change the design. Just rip off the paper and put new ones on it. It's for Easter and it should be beautiful. So if you think your egg is ugly you should redo it."
Chloe Morton: "You can't make the balls too big because they'll look funny, and you can't make them too small either. They have to be just right. And you have to put on just enough glue. You can't put on too much glue because it gets messy and the colors drip, and you can't put on too little because then the balls will fall off. Be careful when you hold the egg so that you don't crack it."
What to do with the egg
Jennifer Sakamaki: "I'm going to give it to my Mom because she buys me things that I need, and when I'm sick she takes care of me and tries to make me healthy. It will be a thank-you present."Bryeana Fajota: "I'm going to put my egg in my treasure box at home. I have to get a high stool to reach it because it's on the top shelf in my closet. In my treasure box, I have my favorite stuffed animal, a special necklace made of real gold, a little crown I made out of paper and a tiny box with my fish in it; it died."
Rachel Sugiyama: "I'm going to put my egg in a basket and then I'm going to put the basket someplace where nobody goes so my egg doesn't crack".
Brandon Victor: "When I'm done with my egg, I'm going to use it to play baseball with my Dad. We play with metal bats."
Connor Cheong: "I'm going to give it to my brother or my parents or my grandpa and grandma or my uncle and aunty or my grandpa's mom ... or maybe I'll just keep it myself."
Nicholas Maher: "I'm going to put it on the dresser in my bedroom. But first I'm going to put something soft under it so it doesn't crack -- like a sock or a big bunch of Kleenex."
Chloe Morton: "I'm going to keep my egg because it's pretty. Later I want to give it to a daughter or a son that I have, and I'm going to tell them that I made it in school."
Miki Yamamoto: "I'm going to put the egg on my desk in the classroom where I can see it every day. And I'm going to think, 'I made that, and it's for Easter. And that's a happy time."
Egg symbolizes renewal
The ancient Egyptians, Persians and Hindus believed the world was created from an enormous egg that broke into two parts. The top half of the egg became the sky; the bottom half formed the earth. Mountains, clouds, mists, rivers and the ocean materialized from the membranes and fluids within the egg's shell. Its golden yolk was transformed into the sun.For eons, the egg has been a universal symbol of life and new beginnings. Appropriately falling in the midst of spring, the season of renewal, Easter celebrates Jesus Christ's triumph over death. The profusion of brightly colored eggs that's seen during this holiday signifies Christ's resurrection as well as the spiritual rebirth followers experience by putting their faith in him.
The egg also represents the stone that was rolled away from the opening of Christ's tomb on the morning of the Resurrection. The ancient game of rolling eggs on Easter Sunday -- which is still popular in Russia, Greece, Romania, Scotland, Ireland, England, France and Belgium --was inspired by this notable biblical event. During this contest, children roll hard-boiled eggs down a grassy slope. As the eggs bump against each other, they crack. The winner is the participant whose egg is the last to crack.
With few exceptions, an egg-rolling competition has taken place on the lawn of the White House every Easter Sunday since James Madison, America's fourth president, was in office (1809-1817).
During the Middle Ages, the people in northern Europe endured long, harsh winters. Food was scarce during the time of bitter cold, so when spring finally arrived, bringing with it the promise of bountiful crops, joyful kings and nobles gifted each of their servants with a fresh hen, duck or goose egg. Today, children in some European towns walk from house to house during Easter, hoping to collect decorated, hard-boiled or candy eggs just as American children gather treats during at Halloween.
Over the years, decorating eggs became a highly regarded art form, especially in eastern Europe. The first dyed eggs appeared here in the 13th century. Talented artisans subsequently experimented with different methods and materials, the most famous of them being 19th-century jeweler Carl Fabergé, who created exquisite gold- and gem-studded works of art for Russian royalty. Modern-day egg decorators use dozens of techniques, ranging from painting and papier mache to beading and batik.
Traditional designs include the sun (which stands for good fortune), deer (good health), rake or scythe (bountiful harvest), hearts (love and devotion), flowers (charity and goodwill), and leaves and trees (life and growth). The cross, crown of thorns and other religious objects also are popular motifs. Devout Christians have their decorated eggs blessed at church, then present them to relatives and friends as treasured Easter mementos.
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