The Easter Egg
While we are hiding our gently colored eggs for children in their dressed in their Easter best clothing for the day, worrying about them getting grass stain on them, the Germans have a totally different way of using these eggs. If the picture is a true picture from Germany, it appears they possibly still boil and color the eggs as we do. Maybe they hide them for children to find too, but they have a very special thing they do with the eggs that we don’t. They throw them. This is a tradition that has been ongoing in Germany now for over 80 years and it will probably be being celebrated for yet another 80 years.
How to throw the eggs
To participate in the egg throwing contest, the players must sign up first. Then they pick out their egg and throw it one time. It the egg breaks, it’s over. There is a particular way that one must toss the egg. They put the egg in between their index finger and their thumb. When throwing the egg, this will cause it to spin while up in the air on its axis. When the eggs falls onto the grassy ground in the meadow, it should land on the larger side and hopefully it will now crack. You only get the one chance, so you don’t want your egg to crack.
How to judge a winner
The competition typically begins after the Easter service at church. The children in the area gather to throw the eggs to see who has the most strength. Ages of participants range from under 5 years of age to over 70. They are placed in groups to be judged fairly. The winner of the group is the one who throws the egg the farthest and it lands without breaking. The contest continues until lunch is ready. I wonder if they have egg salad for lunch.
