Today I'm sharing what my family does with our decorated hard boiled eggs before we eat them. I'm unsure of the origins of this tradition, but know that it's something that has been done in my family since my grandma was a little girl.
The basic gist of an egg war is to try and crack each of your competitor's eggs without yours breaking.
You face off two at a time . . .
Whoever ends up with a non cracked egg faces off with the winner of another division. You continue until there is only one person with a perfect egg - that individual is named "the egg champion" and the losers "eat their eggs".
To this day, no one can beat my grandma - she has a secret technique (whether she's the holder or the hitter). When she was younger, the champion in their household would take their winning egg and compete with other egg champions in the neighborhood.
Have you ever heard of this tradition or participated in an egg war?
I've never heard of egg wars! What an interesting tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe tradition comes from Ukraine, and probably other countries in the area. We call the edible, painted 'challenge' eggs krashanky (not to be confused with pysanky, which are batik-painted as symbolic artwork with non-edible dyes).
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the empire struck back!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of it! We've done it in our family too...just not to the level your grandmother has taken it before :)
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of that tradition- but I think my boys would love it! rather I think the winner would love it and the loser would start crying hysterically... anyway- looks like fun! Robyn @ www.penpalsandpicturebooks.com
ReplyDeleteHahaha the way all good games end!
DeleteThe egg wars have always been known as "stootzing" in our house, my Dad did it as a child, we did it and now my children do it. My DD did a project on this several years ago in school and found it to be called Eier pecken. We thought it originated in Germany as we are of German descent but no other Germans we know have heard of it. She discovered that it is common in the Rhineland or among Germans in Swizterland.
ReplyDeleteMy mother's family were Dutch and English primarily and were doing 'egg cracking' on Easter in the 19th century, (Mom's 91 now). None of the large family had any idea where the custom came from. We just try to hold the egg in the way that protects its sides most and peck away at the opponent. The winner gets a prize, sometimes a coffee mug or even car wash tickets, often very necessary that time of the year. My limited research indicates that the custom is common in the Balkans.
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