Voices - Wiccan Church of Minnesota

The Call of the Witch Tower: WiCoM's Voice in Paganistan

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Ostara Egg Dyeing
By Steven P.
Originally published Ostara, 2003

The humble, mysterious Egg holds pride of place in practically every human mythology. Its meanings are universal: renewal, springtime, wholeness, the microcosm (Shell: Earth, Membrane: Air, Yolk: Fire, White: Water). The Ostara egg is the ancient and pre-eminent emblem of Spring, for deep and practical reasons: egg-laying in domestic fowl (indeed, in most birds) is light-induced. The waxing light of late-winter stimulates the rich new crop of spring eggs. So the feast and its greatest symbol are both about the same thing: more light; more life. Yeah.

The good Pagan folk of Europe have welcomed the Spring with dyed eggs for literally thousands of years now. (And you thought it was the Ostara Bunny!) Over the millennia we've worked up quite a repertoire of natural, organic dyestocks. Just be warned: there are not the pathetic pastels of American Easter. These are rich Earth Mama colors, vibrant, complex, gutsy, tribal. Yes, they're more expensive and more work than Paas. (Just like always in the Craft, eh?) They're also much, much more beautiful. Once you've dyed eggs Nature's way, you'll never, ever go back.

Red/Orange: Onionskins.
Add a handful or two to the water as you hard-boil your eggs. The more onionskins you use, and the longer you boil them, the richer and more beautiful the eggs. Produces a whole range of shades, from yellow through orange to a deep glossy brick red. Certainly the best-loved and probably the most widely used egg dye in the world.

Dark Blue: Blackberries.
Puree 2 cups blackberries (canned or frozen are okay) and cold dye hard boiled eggs.

Deep Purple: Blueberries.
As with blackberries, above.

Bright Yellow: Turmeric.
Add a tablespoon of turmeric to the water as you hard boil the eggs.

Light Blue: Purple cabbage.
Chop several cups of cabbage, cover with water and boil 30 minutes. Strain out the cabbage and use the water to cold dye hardboiled eggs. The longer they steep, the deeper the color becomes. A beautiful robin's egg blue color.

Egg-Dyeing Secrets Of The Wiccan Elders
Don't boil the eggs in aluminum pans. I don't know the chemical reason for this; let's just call it a taboo.

A dash of (white) vinegar in the dye will help the colors last, but these are not permanent dyes: sacredness inheres in the ephemeral.

It's local tradition here in the North Country that the more eggs you dye (and eat), the sooner spring comes. So unless you're really fond of egg salads, dye small or medium sized eggs. Ostara eggs are too wonderful to get sick of.

Remember that these eggs are sacred; the shells should be returned directly to the Earth, not just thrown away.

For Gods' sakes, experiment! Eggs are very picky, though, about just what dyes they'll take. Beets, apparently, will dye everything in the universe except for eggs. If you find a good green, let me know. Also, bear in mind that eggshells are semi-permeable membranes, so don't cook them with anything you wouldn't want to eat.

Webmaster's Errata: Further research suggests that boiling the eggs with spinach leaves should provide a decent green dye. More egg-dyeing information can be found at:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-natural-easter-egg-dyes.html# and
http://greenlivingideas.com/topics/special-occasions/simple-recipes-for-natural-egg-dyes

Also: Uncoated aluminum pans are not recommended for cooking any food which has an extreme pH -- that is either highly acidic (such as tomato products) or highly basic (such as baking soda). Many of the dyes above will qualify, especially those where vinegar is added. Aluminum is also particularly reactive to the free sulfur in eggs ("rotten egg smell" = hydrogen sulfide), and it primarily is for this reason that eggs are best cooked in enamel-coated or stainless steel pans.