Some Notes on the Egg Tree

Abstract

IN Pennsylvania, U.S.A., at the village of Kutztown, the European custom of erecting an Egg Tree at Easter is still observed. It is difficult to say precisely which part of Europe the tradition arrived from, but Germany seems to be the most probable area. Kutztown is located in a German-speaking Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) district, and is near strongholds of the Moravian Church a sect originating at Herrnhut on the borders of Silesia. A prize-winning children's book, 'The Egg Tree',' which appeared in 195o, has undoubtedly helped to spread the custom in America. The author intended it as a study of the Pennsylvania Dutch community, and she describes in some detail the traditional egg designs which were used in the area: the Bright and Morning Star, the Deer on the Mountain, the Pomegranate, and the HornBlowing Rooster. She encourages her young readers to carry on the tradition for themselves, and to decorate Egg Trees for their homes, schools, and churches. Two years ago the custom had even reached remote Alaska, for I saw children in the town of Anchorage decorating Egg Trees, and the local Chamber of Commerce organized an exhibition of their work in the National Bank. This was not really surprising as Alaskan settlers are mainly from the 'Lower Forty Eight', as they call the rest of the United States, and they carried the tradition north with them when they emigrated. To try and find the origins of this charming custom, we must turn to Europe and, apart from Germany, the references to Egg Trees are not especially numerous. The Slovak National Museum contains an interesting variant of the custom a nineteenthcentury wedding candlestick, carved in wood, and supported on a little table. Set on the table is the figure of a man on horseback, and tied to this a long branch representing a decorated tree. The 'tree' is hung with miscellaneous items such as apples, nuts and birds, but chiefly with coloured eggs.