# how long before Easter does your family dye Easter eggs?



## indigosky (Sep 4, 2007)

A few days before? The weekend before? Sooner? Later?


----------



## kittykat2481 (Nov 7, 2008)

Hmm the week of. Sometimes the Saturday right before, but more because we don't have much time all together during the week than anything.


----------



## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

We always did it the day before.


----------



## frugalmama (Sep 12, 2009)

Easter Sunday or the day after. it's the Easter season in the church {Catholic}, beforehand is Lent and eggs don't fit with Lent very well.


----------



## CarrieMF (Mar 7, 2004)

The day before Easter Sunday


----------



## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

The day before.


----------



## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

The day before. But we paint them, not dye b/c ds is allergic to dyes.


----------



## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

We do it the day before Easter. My mom used to hide our painted eggs on Easter morning, so I guess that's why I do it that way. DH and I hide plastic eggs filled with toys/candy, so I guess it doesn't matter as much when we dye eggs, but we've maintained the tradition anyway. That's usually the most convenient time anyway, though.


----------



## heket (Nov 18, 2003)

Can I answer as a pagan? We like to do it the night before, but that means March 19 this year as we celebrate Ostara/ Spring Equinox.


----------



## indigosky (Sep 4, 2007)

Wow, so pretty much everyone does it the day before? That surprises me. Is that really true for others who are reading this?


----------



## HollyBearsMom (May 13, 2002)

We do them a week or two before to decorate the house. We "blow" our eggs so no chance of rot. Like christmas ornaments it is so fun to unpack them every year and admire them and think about the times we had decorating them.


----------



## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

We color eggs on the first day of spring


----------



## Areia (Mar 5, 2009)

When I was a kid - we colored eggs the day before Easter and these were baked into sweet bread that was traditionally eaten on Easter morning. DD is 3 and this will be her second year "helping" grandma bake. She really loves coloring eggs so at home we usually decorate a few a couple of times a month.


----------



## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

Our celebration of Easter is strictly secular so we start a week or two before and dye them at least a once for like er, two months? My kids are young though so it is more of a seasonal art project. They love to dye eggs so I stock up on cheapo kits and we use them until we run out. We dye ones that are raw usually and then use them up. We will also wet felt some...


----------



## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *indigosky*
> 
> Wow, so pretty much everyone does it the day before? That surprises me. Is that really true for others who are reading this?


Why is it surprising? When would be a non-surprising time to dye eggs?


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frugalmama*
> 
> Easter Sunday or the day after. it's the Easter season in the church {Catholic}, beforehand is Lent and eggs don't fit with Lent very well.










I grew up Catholic. Eggs are what we ate when we couldn't eat meat during Lent. My mom made cheese souffle all the time during lent (one of my sorrows is that no one in my family (other than me) likes cheese souffle).

We dyed them the night before so that they would be fresh for hiding on Easter Sunday. We always ate the eggs, so I guess my parents didn't want them to go bad. I've never considered doing it any other time. And in reality, there usually wasn't time - we went to church on Holy Thursday and Good Friday and so didn't get home until late. The Saturday afternoon/evening before Easter was the perfect ime.


----------



## frugalmama (Sep 12, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LynnS6*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


We eat eggs during Lent, but dying the eggs is supposed to be a symbol of the resurrection of Christ, so we wait until after Easter Sunday to do those during the Easter season of the church. I suppose we could do them on Easter Sunday itself, but we never get to it. We do other things instead, and I like to draw out the Easter season. Plus Lent for us is a more somber, prayerful time so we do very few celebrations during Lent.


----------



## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *frugalmama*
> 
> We eat eggs during Lent, but dying the eggs is supposed to be a symbol of the resurrection of Christ, so we wait until after Easter Sunday to do those during the Easter season of the church. I suppose we could do them on Easter Sunday itself, but we never get to it. We do other things instead, and I like to draw out the Easter season. Plus Lent for us is a more somber, prayerful time so we do very few celebrations during Lent.


That's why we dyed them the day before, so they were there for Easter. Although it was fun to decorate them, it was to prepare for Easter, not a celebration of any kind. There aren't any celebrations during Lent for Catholics, either.


----------



## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

A couple of days before.


----------



## lonegirl (Oct 31, 2008)

WE do it the night before.


----------



## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

Pardon my dumb question..... You do have to have white eggs to dye, right? Our chickens all lay varying colors of brown eggs, no white.


----------



## lonegirl (Oct 31, 2008)

You don't have to have white...but the colours will be different. White ones make the most vivid results.


----------



## mad4mady (Dec 29, 2006)

We always dye the eggs the night before and we use brown eggs


----------



## MeditativeMama (Oct 4, 2005)

Sometime the week before. We like to dye with natural ingredients, so this gives us some time to experiment and try new plants each year. Lots of fun to see what colors come up with fruits, herbs and veggies! We also grow some Easter grass a couple of weeks before to display the eggs out of wheat, kamut, lentil, barley and other grains.

Jennifer

Married to Rick 17 years, Son 14, Daughter 11, Son 7 and Baby #4 due 10/11!

Natural Egg Dyeing eBook: www.syrendell.etsy.com


----------



## hakeber (Aug 3, 2005)

We adults do a few the night before to put in the kids easter baskets and to hide for the hunt and if we happen to have a hill near by to use for the great egg roll. Then the kids do more at our spring party, which is almost always on Easter Sunday. But DS loves the colored eggs, so we usually save some of the dye tablets for making marbled eggs throughout the year.

I have never heard that eggs were a symbol of the resurrection and I used to go church a lot as a kid, even catholic church. They are about as Christian to me as a chocolate Easter Bunny. Who knew?

Eggs were a traditional symbol of fertility in Pagan culture. The majority of the symbolism associated with Easter were traditionally pagan symbols, the Eggs, the Rabbit, the baskets of plenty, even the name (possibly taken from the goddess of Spring, Eostre). All of these long predate the conversion of the European heathens by the catholic church. (http://www.thercg.org/books/ttooe.html#c) I'm just saying.


----------



## greenemami (Nov 1, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *heket*
> 
> Can I answer as a pagan? We like to do it the night before, but that means March 19 this year as we celebrate Ostara/ Spring Equinox.


us too.


----------

