|
|
All
wooden items created by
Spirit of Old are crafted using
Wildwood Knives |
|
|
|
Like this page?
Share it!
|
|
|
|
|
Eostre
Eostre is another
name for the Spring Equinox, when day and night are of equal
length. It falls on or around March 21st. Other names include
Ostara and Eostar.
In Old England, the Anglo-Saxon name for April was "Eostremonath".
Eostre was possibly a Goddess of the Dawn as the word "Eostre"
is related to "East". As the Sun risies is the East each day and
this is a time of growing light, this is very fitting. The
Anglo-Saxon year consisted of two seasons - Summer and Winter.
Winter began at Samhain and Summer began at Eostre.
The Easter bunny
The Easter bunny of today has his origins in Old England. As a
highly fertile animal, the Hare was an obvious choice for
symbolizing Eostre with its theme of re-birth and ancient
folklore associates the Hare with laying eggs.
Hot cross buns
Hot cross buns were originally eaten by the Anglo-Saxons in
honour of their Goddess, Eostre. It is thought that the bun
represented the Moon and the cross represented the Moon's
quarters. To Christians the cross came to symbolise the
crucifixion cross. |
|
|
|
Easter eggs
The egg is an ancient symbol of Eostre and represents re-birth.
The tradition of decorating and giving eggs at Eostre is very
old and in some areas people still take part in egg hunts and
rolling eggs down a hill to celebrate.
Dying eggs
There many different plants which can be used to naturally dye
eggs all sorts of colours.
1 cup lavender buds - light green
4 cups chopped red cabbage - blue
1 1/2 cups calendula petals and heads - yellow
12 medium sized onions (skins only) - orange
1 cup fresh spinach leaves - green
Making the dye
Select your chosen dying agent and place the recommended amount
in a saucepan. Add 32 fl oz water and 2 tablespoons white
vinegar. For large quantities of eggs, you can increase the
amount: add an extra tablespoon of vinegar to every extra 16 fl
oz of water used. Bring everything to the boil, then lower the
heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the dye into a bowl and
allow to cool.
Hot dye method
Place the raw eggs in a saucepan of strained dye. Bring the eggs
to the boil and allow them to cook in the dye until you achieve
the shade of colour you want - usually this takes from 20
minutes to 2 hours. Remove the eggs and pat dry with a paper
towel, then leave to thoroughly air dry on a rack.
Cold dye method
Hard boil ordinary eggs and leave to cool. Carefully lower the
eggs into a bowl of dye and leave until the desired shade of
colour is reached - this can take from 20 minutes up to
overnight. Remove the eggs and pat dry with a paper towel, then
leave to thoroughly air dry on a rack. |
|
|
|
|
|