Easter 'egg'citement in M'lore

Easter is the day everyone waits for. May it be children, youth or elderly and it brings a smile on everyone’s face. Sandhya C D’Souza writes about Easter and why it is one of the important days in the calandar.

One of the best memories I have about Easter Sunday is breaking the ‘Easter egg’.

Being the youngest in the family I was bestowed the privilege of cracking the eggs and others smiled as I squealed with joy, seeing the goodies hidden inside.

Easter eggs would probably be the first thing that pops in our mind when we think of Easter.

The coloured and decorated eggs made of chocolate, marzipan and royal icing have always added a pinch of excitement to the fiesta, which marks the end of the solemn season of lent.In earlier times eggs, meat and dairy products were forbidden during lent. Hence, Easter eggs marked the end of the Lenten fast.

An egg being a symbol of fertility and life is another main reason it is used. The hard shell of the egg symbolises the sealed tomb of Christ and the cracking symbolises his resurrection from the dead.

Children are made to believe that Easter bunnies bring Easter eggs and hide it in the house. Children then hunt for these decorated eggs, which enclose toys and confectionary.

Popular in Mangalore

Mangalorean Christians have inherited the tradition of exchanging Easter eggs from the British who lived in Mangalore during the pre-independence era.

Speaking to City Herald, Joyce Vas from Balmatta Vas Bakery says that she still uses the Easter egg moulds of 1905. “Vas bakery has been making Easter eggs since ages.
There is a huge demand for them and it is increasing year by year. We prepare 600 to 700 eggs every year,” she reveals and adds that the Bakery sells eggs costing Rs 30 and Rs 60. The biggest egg costs Rs 250.

Cochin bakery too has picked up the tradition of preparing these eggs. The white eggs made from royal icing have been decorated with icing flowers.

“There is huge demand for these eggs. We even prepare Easter bunnies enclosed with confectionary.

These cost Rs 150 a piece,” says Muralidhar from Cochin Bakery Nanthoor.

“We have been preparing Easter eggs for over seven years. Earlier hard boiled eggs were used during Easter. However, they were replaced with these eggs over the years. We sell Easter eggs of two different sizes.

The smaller one costs Rs 25 and the bigger Rs 45,” says Proprietor of Cream and Caramel Denzil Fernandez.

About Easter

Easter is a Christian feast celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. It is preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week. The Thursday of the holy week is called Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

The fifty-day period after Easter is called Eastertide or the Easter Season which ends with Pentecost Sunday.