Colouring Eggs for Easter

N.B. The Sheep Pen in the screenshots is not mine. I do not own any 'flasher sheep' yet. There is one Ewe in the centre of the bottom row that changes colour. Each screenshot shows it in a different instant as it changes colour rapidly from moment to moment!

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An extremely popular online game known as Farmville recently introduced an 'English Countryside' option as a method of giving players the opportunity to own a second farm and one that specialised in crops grown in England. Some of my favourite flowers are included and the entire theme of the farm is 'British', albeit rather stereotypical in nature. In Harvest Moon fashion, one is asked to restore vitality to a small village by assuming management of a dilapidated farm as well as a failing Pub. One therefore can craft both drinks and pastries, using Crops harvested from the 'English farm'.

A very interesting new twist to the game is the ability to breed sheep, but these are not ordinary Sheep. There are sheep in fantastical colours, ornamented with dots and stars. As with the 'fantasy trees' in Farmville, I initially was put off by the blue sheep with red dots. In the same manner in which I gradually came to appreciate the fantasy trees to the point where I wished to cultivate and produce MORE of them, I became seduced by the fantasy Sheep.

Breeding is not an instantaneous act. It requires special Potions and the presence both of a Ram and an Ewe. When a lamb is born, it must be fed 10 bottles of milk before it will grow into its adult form. One must ask Neighbours both for Love Potions and Bottles. Lambs can become ordinary or extraordinary Rams or Ewes, depending on their bloodlines and chance.

One can become quite obsessed with sheep-breeding. At first, I laughed at my Neighbours who constantly begged for more Bottles but now I have become quite as needy as any of them.

'Easter Egg' is an old gaming term that refers to special, hidden objects or events that can occur or manifest when triggered. The special Sheep that can be raised in Farmville could be considered 'Easter Eggs' in the gaming sense but, beyond that, breeding Sheep is very much like colouring Eggs for Easter. The brightly coloured, decorated Rams and Ewes that emerge when they become adults are very appropriate to the season and actually resemble coloured Eggs. I expect this was deliberate on the part of the developers and it is both clever and appealing.

Although virtual coloured Sheep, however fantastical and extraordinary, cannot take the place of real Easter eggs, the sheep breeding option in Farmville as well as the Crops of traditional Springtide flowers, gladden the heart and spirit.

Symbols of Spring and Rebirth

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Spring internationally is a season rich in traditional festivals and traditions. In lands where there are four distinct seasons and Winters are harsh, celebrations of the rebirth of life characterise the Festivals. Although cheap plastic charms and figures are popular now, one still can find folk art expressions of the symbols of Spring.

Wood always was one of the most commonly used materials for carvings throughout the ages. Bone is another, but wood has more of a connection with rebirth and the energy of life. Furthermore, in lands where trees are plentiful, it generally was a more inexpensive medium than others.

Wood carvings can be primitive or sophisticated, elegant or primal. They can reflect any style of art and any cultural artistic traditions. In the West, wood now has become a rather expensive medium and folk arts that once would have been affordable sometimes are extremely costly. This trend is reflected internationally as artists who export their wares or sell to tourists respond to shifting values.

The internet has created an amazing revolution in almost every aspect of life. In the area of folk art, the ability of some one who lives in a fairly inaccessible part of the globe to be able to offer and sell his/her wares to consumers throughout the world is one of the more positive effects of internet communications. Every strata of producer of these goods takes advantage of this new technology obviously, and cheap inferior goods are sold as often as masterpieces. Nonetheless, for the discerning collector, it is possible to research and discover wonderful artists throughout the world.

Even when the products are not masterpieces, however, there is a certain magic in authenticity, especially when the items are part of a living tradition. For example, one year, I was able to buy some handmade wooden eggs and candlesticks from the Ukraine. All the items I purchased were part of the Ukrainian traditions of Easter and thus, to me, rather magical.

Objects carved from wood are far more than the symbols they represent. They actually ARE connected to the trees that provided the material. Every land has its own native trees and one therefore an integral part of some one's native landscape is imported with the object. The birch trees of the Ukraine now reside in my home, side by side with Kokeshi from Japan and Matrioshka from Russia.

Matrioshka, like Kokeshi, have developed significantly in the last century as far as subject matter is concerned. I always prefer Matrioshka painted with scenes from old Russian fairytales and folktales to the modern political figures from various governments, including the U.S. and Soviet Union heads of state. I do have a set of Matrioshka on which characters from the Lord of the Rings have been depicted that I prize. Among other things, I have a set of runes carved from a Rowan tree and a Madonna and Child carved from Oak. I have walking sticks carved from ash, blackthorn, maple, cherry and apple. From Palestine, I have a reproduction of the Mosque of Al-Aqsa carved from Olive wood.

I have included photographs of wooden objects from Japan, Russia and the Ukraine as well as the first Crocus of Spring that appeared in the garden.

In the tiny garden here, I planted birch, oak, ash, rowan and spruce. The owner of the house was not altogether pleased by this but I do believe that trees contain their own unique energies, as well as being incredibly beautiful. In the heart of this area of urban blight, they provide a little privacy as well as protection from the elements.

The Magic in Egg Colouring at Easter

To me, this is a profound statement of how far our contemporary Western society has wandered from Nature. Our water is filled with pollutants. Even when it falls from the sky as rain, it is impure and cannot be trusted. I personally feel that many of the adults and children who are convinced they have 'allergies' in fact are being poisoned by toxins...

Even a simple egg is so far removed from Nature that it needs to have a 'sell by' date stamped on it! I was unaware of this new feature until I tried to colour a few eggs in the traditional fashion for Easter. I was horrified when the words 'Best by 04 24' appeared on the surface of the egg, ruining any hope of decorating it myself.

A rotten egg is a rotten egg... an ordinary rotten egg wouldn't need a message tattooed on its shell to convey its state. It is only because of all the artifical additives and whatever is being fed to the chickens in the name of profit that a 'sell by' date would be necessary, and is it necessary in any event? A fairly intelligent person knows when food has gone off. I personally do not like being treated like a child, and the government is becoming more and more officious with its 'protective' regulations. Furthermore, 'sell by' dates didn't help all the animals who were killed by toxic pet food a couple of years ago...

I suppose I am ranting a bit here, but I always felt that Easter was a celebration of Spring and Nature. Slowly, everything that is natural is being eradicated from our lives in the interest of 'safety' or social homogenisation. Everything either is 'faux' or artificially enhanced. With our artificial lights that allow us to treat night as day, we have obliterated our view of the Moon and stars. With our artificial calendars and holidays based on business convenience, we have little or no knowledge of the natural rhythms of the Earth, or the movements of the celestial bodies.