Egg tapping
Encyclopedia
The egg tapping game
or egg fight is a traditional Easter game. The rule is very simple: to hold a hard-boiled egg and tap eggs of other participants to break them but to keep your own undamaged. 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.
Venetia Newall in her book An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study quotes an early reference from 15th-century Poland.
In English folk traditions, the game has variously been known as "shackling", "jarping
" or "dumping". As with any other game it has been a subject of cheating: eggs with cement core, alabaster
, and even marble
eggs have been reported.
(a state of India
in which the easternmost indigenous Indo-European language is spoken) the game is called Koni-juj (Koni = Egg; Juj = Fight). It is held every year on the day of Goru Bihu (the cattle day) of Rongali Bihu, which falls mid of April and on the day of Bhogali Bihu
, which falls mid of January.
In Holland the game is called eiertikken. Children line up with baskets of coloured eggs and try to break those in another person’s basket. But players must only break ones of the same colour as their own.
In Romania
, visitors strike red eggs against one held by the head of the household and exchange the greetings "Christ is risen!" and "He is risen indeed!" The person who keeps an unbroken egg is said to enjoy the longest life.
Christians in Bulgaria
have a similar custom and may believe that the winner of the egg tapping contest will have the most health until the next Easter. The first painted, red egg may be preserved until the next year as a token of luck and good health.
Central European Catholics of various nationalities call the tradition epper. This likely derives from or is related to the German
word Opfer, also used to name the practice, which means 'sacrifice' or, literally, offering.
Ruthenian
s have the same tradition, which can include either rolling the eggs or cracking them in the hand. The word epper is used and the term 'čokatisja' (compare Slovak, 'ťukať', 'to tap') is reported.
Greeks
call the practice tsougrisma (τσούγκρισμα), meaning to clink together.
, egg-tapping (called egg-knocking or egg pacqueing) is a serious competition event. Marksville claims to be the first to make it into an official event in 1956. In the past some cheaters used guinea hen eggs, which are smaller and have harder shells. Nowadays guinea egg knocking is a separate contest category. Preparation for this contest has turned into a serious science. People now know which breeds of chicken lay harder eggs and at what time. The chickens must be fed with calcium
-rich food and have plenty of exercise. Proper boiling of the contest eggs is also a serious issue. Some rules are well-known, such eggs must be boiled tip down, so that the air pocket is on the butt end. There is also the rule that the champion must break and eat their eggs to prove they are not a fake.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
or egg fight is a traditional Easter game. The rule is very simple: to hold a hard-boiled egg and tap eggs of other participants to break them but to keep your own undamaged. The egg was a symbol of the rebirth of the earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in Pagan celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the rebirth of man at Easter.
Venetia Newall in her book An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study quotes an early reference from 15th-century Poland.
In English folk traditions, the game has variously been known as "shackling", "jarping
Egg-jarping
Egg-jarping is a competitive sport similar to conkers, but using hard-boiled eggs instead of the nuts from a horse-chestnut tree. The game is played between pairs of competitors who repeatedly knock the pointed ends of their eggs together until one of the eggs cracks; the overall winner is the one...
" or "dumping". As with any other game it has been a subject of cheating: eggs with cement core, alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
, and even marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
eggs have been reported.
In other cultures and languages
In AssamAssam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
(a state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in which the easternmost indigenous Indo-European language is spoken) the game is called Koni-juj (Koni = Egg; Juj = Fight). It is held every year on the day of Goru Bihu (the cattle day) of Rongali Bihu, which falls mid of April and on the day of Bhogali Bihu
Bhogali Bihu
Magh Bihu is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam, India, which marks the end of harvesting season in the month of Maagha . It is the Assam celebration of Sankranthi, with feasting lasting for a week.The festival is marked by feasts and bonfires...
, which falls mid of January.
In Holland the game is called eiertikken. Children line up with baskets of coloured eggs and try to break those in another person’s basket. But players must only break ones of the same colour as their own.
In Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, visitors strike red eggs against one held by the head of the household and exchange the greetings "Christ is risen!" and "He is risen indeed!" The person who keeps an unbroken egg is said to enjoy the longest life.
Christians in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
have a similar custom and may believe that the winner of the egg tapping contest will have the most health until the next Easter. The first painted, red egg may be preserved until the next year as a token of luck and good health.
Central European Catholics of various nationalities call the tradition epper. This likely derives from or is related to the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word Opfer, also used to name the practice, which means 'sacrifice' or, literally, offering.
Ruthenian
Ruthenian
Ruthenian may refer to:*Ruthenia, a name applied to various parts of Eastern Europe*Ruthenians, a historic ethnic group*Ruthenian Catholic Church, the sui iuris particular church united to the Bishop of Rome and the Roman Catholic Church...
s have the same tradition, which can include either rolling the eggs or cracking them in the hand. The word epper is used and the term 'čokatisja' (compare Slovak, 'ťukať', 'to tap') is reported.
Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
call the practice tsougrisma (τσούγκρισμα), meaning to clink together.
Competition
In many places in LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, egg-tapping (called egg-knocking or egg pacqueing) is a serious competition event. Marksville claims to be the first to make it into an official event in 1956. In the past some cheaters used guinea hen eggs, which are smaller and have harder shells. Nowadays guinea egg knocking is a separate contest category. Preparation for this contest has turned into a serious science. People now know which breeds of chicken lay harder eggs and at what time. The chickens must be fed with calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
-rich food and have plenty of exercise. Proper boiling of the contest eggs is also a serious issue. Some rules are well-known, such eggs must be boiled tip down, so that the air pocket is on the butt end. There is also the rule that the champion must break and eat their eggs to prove they are not a fake.
See also
- Egg rollingEgg rollingEgg rolling, or an Easter egg roll is a traditional game played with eggs at Easter. Different nations have different versions of the game, usually played with hard-boiled, decorated eggs.- History :...
- Egg huntEgg huntEgg hunt is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial, filled with or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. The game may be both indoors and outdoors...
- Egg danceEgg danceAn egg dance is a traditional Easter game in which eggs are laid on the ground or floor and the goal is to dance among them damaging as few as possible...
- Pace Egg playPace Egg playThe Pace Egg Plays are traditional village plays, with a rebirth theme, in which St George smites all challengers and the fool, Toss Pot, rejoices...
- Conkers, a similar British game with horse-chestnuts