European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I c artful egg for easter us by Sharon Hudgins we tend to associate coloured eggs with easter but the custom of decorating eggs is even older. Archaeologists in Europe have uncovered eggs with ornate designs made thousands of years before the Christian Era. And folklorists Tell us that decorated eggs were part of Pagan Spring festivals for which eggs were painted with Bright colors to symbolize blossoming plants. So perhaps it was inevitable that the egg Symbol of the creation of new life would also find a place in religious observances celebrating the resurrection. Easter eggs today Are made from a wide variety of materials natural eggshells a Chicken Duck or Goose a blown with the egg White and Yolk remove intact but uncooked eggs or hard boiled eggs edible substances such As sugar chocolate or Marzipan precious metals enamelled metals Wood Bone Ivory porcelain Onyx Marble Glass and cinnabar. Decorations Range from solid colors to painted or Bati ked designs beads lace Straw coloured paper and decals. The designs can be Geometric Floral inscribed symbolic a whatever suits the egg decorator s fancy. The production of decorated eggs reached a Peak with the creations of the famous jeweler Carl Faberge in the late 19th and Early 20th centuries for the russian czars Alexander Iii and Nicholas ii. Commissioned by the Royal family whose members exchanged these eggs As gifts at easter Faberge a workshop produced dozens of fancy eggs each a masterpiece of the jewelery Sart. Made from Gold Silver Ivory Rock Crystal and enamelled metals a and encrusted with precious stones a the hollow eggs opened in the Middle to disclose a gift such As tiny jewelled animals scale models of buildings miniature ships and trains and even smaller decorated eggs that opened to reveal even smaller eggs. The common Folk made their own easter eggs from humbler materials but in some regions the designs and workmanship were and still Are so Fine that decorated eggs achieved the status of a recognized Folk Art. Ukrainian eggs in particular Are Well known for their Beautiful colors and ornate designs. Following a Complex process whereby the design is traced on the natural eggshell with beeswax and the eggs Are dipped in various vegetable dyes the ukrainians produce brilliantly multicoloured eggs covered with intricate geometrical shapes. Known As Pisan i these decorated eggs Are not cooked and Are used Only As ornaments. The name Pisan i comes from the slavic word a to write Quot because the designs Are literally written seasonal Folk Art an ornately designed easter egg from Czechoslovakia. A amps de rim is on the eggshell with Wax it would be misleading to imply that Only the ukrainians make Lovely easter eggs however. Several countries and regions in Europe a Poland Czechoslovakia Hungary Yugoslavia Romania Austria Germany a Are also Well known for their production of decorated eggs using age old designs and techniques Many of which Are unique. The connoisseur of Folk Art eggs can Tell at a glance whether an egg has come from Eastern or Western Czechoslovakia nothern Yugoslavia or Central Austria. In Many parts of Europe Maundy thursday Good Friday or easter sunday have magical Powers to prevent illness to bring Good Luck to act As an aphrodisiac to ensure that the next baby will be a boy to prevent an Early death to help in foretelling the future. In the Ukraine beekeepers put a coloured easter egg under each hive to guarantee a Good Supply of Honey. In other regions easter eggs Are fed to the livestock or buried in the Fields to protect the animals and help produce abundant crops. A charming custom that dates Only from the 19th Century is the making of an egg tree at easter. Long branches of Pussy Willows or yellow forsythia Are put into a vase and decorated eggs Are Hung on the branches like Christmas ornaments on an Evergreen tree. The eggs Are usually natural hollowed ones the Whites and Yolks having been removed through pinholes before the eggs Are coloured. Brightly painted wooden eggs Are also used. Anyone who has spent at least one easter in Germany a where egg Trees decorate shop windows restaurants and hotel Foyers a knows that collecting decorating eggs for ones own egg tree can become As much an obsession As acquiring handmade Christmas ornaments. I have even found that brightly coloured highly decorated eggs can do double duty on the egg tree at easter and on the Evergreen at Christmas. Following Are instructions for making two very different unusual kinds of decorated eggs for easter. Marbled eggs Are hard boiled eggs whose shells Are cracked but not removed before they Are dyed. The colors natural edible dyes Only seep in through the cracked shells to produce a marbled design on the surface of the cooked egg White. The eggs Are then peeled before serving. The most Well known marbled color is produced by steeping cracked hard boiled eggs in a mixture of Black Tea soy sauce water and spices. Other colors Are also possible using natural dyes made from turmeric red cabbage and beets. The second set of instructions is for using common Kitchen ingredients a Tea turmeric onion skins a to Dye the shells of hard boiled eggs for displaying in your easter Basket or hiding for the children to find. The colors produced Are Beautiful Quot Earth tones Quot with designs made from string thread dental floss and onion skins a just the sort of eggs that might be delivered by an Artsy crafts Rabbit wearing jogging shoes. Marbled eggs general instructions put 6 eggs in a Saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil Over medium heat and simmer the eggs for 10 minutes. During the first 5 minutes of simmering stir the eggs very gently with the handle of a wooden spoon to ensure that the Yolks will be entered Drain the pan and rinse the eggs under cold water until they Are Cool enough to handle. Using the Back of a spoon gently tap the surface of each egg to crack the Shell All Over but do not Peel the eggs. Put the Dye Bath ingredients see individual recipes for different colors into a Large Nonal Minum Saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer uncovered for 1 hour adding More water if needed to keep the eggs covered. Remove the pan from the heat cover it and refrigerate the eggs in the Dye Bath from 2 to 12 hours. Remove the marbled eggs from the Dye Bath continued on Page 14 _ Friday april 6, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13