There are a large number of Easter Games and customs:
"There are a large number of traditional Easter games and customs in the Christian world. Many of these games incorporate easter eggs. Although adopted into the Christian tradition of Easter, these games are probably based in ancient fertility cults (this is a classic example of syncretism). Of these the most well known, widespread and popular until the modern times are the egg rolling, egg hunt, egg tapping, and egg dance. Their rules may vary in different cultures and localities. At the same time, there exist less known peculiar customs. Nowadays child entertainers and kindergartens invent various new Easter games, often adapting well-known games to Easter topics, such as word puzzles involving Easter-related words. These are not discussed in this article."
Egg games:
"Egg tossing, egg toss, or egg throwing is a game associated with Easter. The egg was a symbol of the rebirth of the earth in Pagan celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the rebirth of man at Easter."
"In one version of the game the idea is to toss an egg so it falls on the ground without breaking. This is possible on, for example, grassy meadows. In Germany, children invented a way to spin the egg during the toss so that it lands on its tip still spinning."
"In medieval Britain there was an egg throwing festival held in the churches at Easter. The priest would give out one hard-boiled egg which was tossed around the nave of the church and the choirboy who was holding the egg when the clock struck twelve would get to keep it."
"Dutch children play a game called "egg sales" in which one child sells an egg to another. The new owner then throws the egg in the grass and if it doesn't break it must be returned to the seller."
"Egg tossing is also known as a team competition with basically the following rules, although the exact details may vary. One member of a two-person team tosses an egg to another. If the egg does not break, they step apart and the toss is repeated. The contest continues until one egg is left unbroken."
It's traditional in my family to do a raw egg toss by: Pam Svoboda
We divide the family up in 2 equal lines in the front yard-
For example: 7 on one side and 7 on the other side-
The person directly in front of you will be your partner-
Everyone stands 7 feet apart- One raw egg is given to everyone in the left row-
On the count of three, everyone tosses the raw egg to their partner-
Then everyone takes 2 steps back- then that row tosses on the count of 3-
Then everyone takes 2 steps back- then that row tosses on the count of 3-
Each time a person busts an egg, that couple is out of the game-
If a person drops an egg but it doesn't break- they are still in the game-
The winners are the last 2 standing without a broken egg!
To make the game even harder- both rows can be given raw eggs and all toss at the same time!
- The rules of egg rolling may vary significantly, with the basic idea being an egg race. The eggs are either rolled down a steep hill or pushed across a lawn with sticks.
- Egg hunt is a kind of treasure hunt game: children have to collect as many hidden eggs as possible.
- Egg tapping is a contest for the hardest egg: the contestants tap each other's eggs with egg tips and optionally with other parts: "butts" or sides.
- Egg dance requires dancing among eggs while keeping them undamaged. In some traditions the egg dancer may be blindfolded.
- Venetia Newall describes egg eating competitions in Western Germany and among German emigrants to Pennsylvania, United States.
- "In many parts of Germany a popular Easter pastime is egg throwing. In this "game" there are no winners or losers, nor any apparent aim. Participants throw a painted and decorated hard boiled egg as far as they can across the fields. This is repeated until eventually the egg bursts apart, an event that takes a sometimes surprising number of throws. In other versions it is a competitive event when pairs throw a raw egg to each other while moving further and further apart."
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Egg Game Facts:
"On July 4,2008 in Skagway Alaska the world record for the number of persons participating in an egg toss was set, with 1422 persons participating."
"An egg throwing feat was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records: on November 12, 1978 a Johnny Dell Foley successfully tossed a fresh hen's egg for a distance of 323ft 2in (98.51m) to a Keith Thomas at Jewett, Texas. The record was undefeated until at least 1999. Since 2000 the feat is no longer listed in the book."
"Since 2005 Hagerstown, Maryland hosts what was announced as "the first-ever National Egg Toss Championship" although this competition is not associated with Easter."
"A World Egg Throwing Federation championship is held in Swaton, England each year on the last Sunday in June since 2006."
"The 2006 and 2007 Disney Channel Games included egg tossing games."
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Others
- Strutt and Hone in their 1867 book The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England describe an Easter tradition from the Isles of Scilly called goose dancing. For goose dancing the maidens dress up as young men and vice versa. In this disguise they visit neighbors for dancing and making joke stories.
- In some Central European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) there is a tradition of sprinkling girls and women with water and spanking them with "Easter switches". The switches are made of willow rods decorated with color ribbons. In Czechia such a switch is called pomlázka meaning "rejuvenator", implying that a female struck by a pomlázka will become younger and prettier.
It's traditional in my family to do the animal talk game by: Pam Svoboda
The whole family (kids and adults) make a big circle-
A basket of plastic easter eggs are placed in the center of the circle-
Each egg when opened has the name of an animal inside-
For example: cat, dog, duck, pig, monkey-
The basket must have 2 and only 2 eggs with the same animal names-
Each person one by one takes one egg from the basket and returns back in the circle-
Once everyone has an egg, they all open the egg at the same time and read the name of the animal- The object of the game is to find your animal mate by making the sound or motion of that animal while in the circle-
This game is extreamely fun and when everyone is barking, meowing, mooing and quacking it's hard to actually figure out which person is the same animal as you!
When you find your animal mate you must run to them and claim your mate-
Then run to the basket in the center of the circle to show that you found your mate!
The first three couples are the winners- 1st place, 2nd place & 3rd place
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See Also:
Have you ever wished for a classic Easter special to show your kids? Here Comes Peter Cottontail is a Rankin & Bass production that bears a marked similarity to the beloved Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.
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