Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico

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The Easter Egg	April 17, 2003

The egg has been called nature`s most perfect container. It is also one of the world`s most popular symbols for springtime and for Easter. In all cultures, the egg symbolizes the beginning of life or the universe. A Latin proverb says, "All life comes from an egg." Eggs were dyed and eaten during spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome and colored eggs were given as gifts to celebrate the coming of spring. Christians of the Near East adopted this tradition and the egg became a religious symbol – it represented the tomb from which Jesus broke forth. The various customs associated with Easter eggs were not recorded in Western Europe until the 15th century. Speculation is that missionaries or knights of the Crusades were responsible for bringing the tradition of coloring eggs westward. These days, more than 1 billion Easter eggs are hunted in the United States each year in parks, back yards and even on the White House lawn. Chocolate or candy eggs emerged in the late 1800s, and plastic easter eggs made their debut in the early 1960s. More than 100 million plastic eggs are purchased for Easter.