Why do we give Easter Eggs?      

The Easter egg is venerable indeed. While the gaily colored
cardboard ones and rich chocolate ones that we enjoy are
quite recent in origin, the real egg, decorated with
colors or gilt, has been acknowledged as a symbol of
continuing life and resurrection since pre-Christian
spring celebrations.

Given as gifts by the ancient
Greeks, Persians, and Chinese at their spring festivals,
the egg also appears in pagan mythology, where we read of
the Sun-Bird being hatched from the World Egg. In some pagan
customs, the Heaven and Earth were thought to have been
formed from two halves of an egg.

As the egg was an
obvious symbol to early Christians of Jesus' Resurrection,
it was felt to be a most appropriate and holy part of the
Eastertide celebration. Even as early as the Middle Ages,
eggs were colored to be given as gifts at Easter;
Edward I's accounts for 1290 include the expense of
purchasing hundreds of eggs to be distributed to
household.

In the 17th century, pope Paul V blessed
the humble egg in a prayer to be used in England,
Scotland, and Ireland: "Bless, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
this Thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome
sustenance to Thy faithful servants, eating in
thankfulness to Thee, on account of the
Resurrection of Our Lord."

Forbidden during the solemn
fast of Lent, eggs were reintroduced on Easter Sunday,
both as part of the feasting and as gifts for family,
friends, and servants.

Anonymous (1913)