The egg symbolizes new life and our rebirth in the spring time, just like through the sacrifice of Jesus giving us a new life through God's forgiveness of all our sins. But why dye the egg? In history eggs would be dyed red to represent the blood Christ shed for us. The egg can also represent the tomb where Jesus was laid after his crucifixion. The hard shell can be removed like the sealed tomb was opened on Easter morning.
The following is a traditional account of how my family dyes Easter eggs.
(This recipe yields one cup of colored dye.)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
liquid food coloring
hard-boiled eggs
In a small cup (we have always used coffee mugs), mix together water at room temperature, vinegar and several drops of food coloring. I used about 20 drops of color in each mug, but you can adjust this however you like for a deeper or lighter color.
Prepare several different colors in this way.
Carefully place one egg in each cup of food coloring. After a few seconds, roll the egg to ensure the it's completely covered with dye equally on all sides. Watch the eggs, then carefully remove them when they reach the desired shade. Use a spoon to remove the egg and place it in an egg carton or on a paper towel to dry.
For extra decoration:
Decorate the eggs with crayons prior to dying.
Decorate the eggs with small stickers.
