EASTER EGGS [ a.k.a. MARGUCIAI ]
The egg being the symbol of life and rebirth of nature is given special meaning in Easter traditions. The tradition of egg dyeing and exchanging is much older than Christianity.
There were two methods of egg decorating: drawing designs with wax or scratching designs on dyed eggs. Numerous designs consisted of blossoms, snakes, wheel and cog, stars, branches of rue, snowflakes and many others.
Most common dye used was onion skins. A pot was filled with dry onion skins and water and allowed to soak for several hours, then brought to a boil, then raw eggs were placed for seven or ten minutes, later the pot was removed from the heat, but eggs were left in the dye for some time, to intensify the reddish brown color. Nettles were used to obtain green color. Nettles were covered with cold water, then boiled for twenty minutes. Eggs were placed in the strained nettle dye and boiled. If the solution was nor strained, the eggs would be spotted Adding alum to the nettle solution intensifies the green color. Red color was obtained by slicing raw beets, covering with cold water and bringing to a boil. The red solution was strained and eggs boiled in it. A reddish yellow color was obtained from a solution made from a mixture of chopped birch lichen, fir and black alder trees. Very popular black and dark brown colors were obtained by soaking black alder bark with rusty metal pieces in boiling water and adding fermented juices of beets or sauerkraut. This mixture was left to ferment two to three weeks and boiled eggs would be soaked in it until good color was obtained.