复活节彩蛋

复活节彩蛋是西方国家在庆祝复活节时特别装饰性的蛋。传统上一般是使用经过染色的蛋类。现代的习惯通常是使用蛋状的巧克力代替。彩蛋一般事先藏好，然后由儿童来找寻。是復活节的象征性物品，是表达友谊、关爱和祝愿的方式。基督徒以復活蛋比喻為「新生命的開始」，象徵「耶穌復活、走出石墓」。

用蛋來象徵生命的復活，在耶穌基督降生之前就已經很流行。西歐人士相信蛋是有兩次生命的，第一次是「新生」，第二次則是「重生」，重生就是象徵了復活的意思。

復活蛋的起源

在基督教出現前，埃及等各地就有將蛋染色以祭神、慶祝春分的習俗。^[1]^[2]

美索不達米亞的早期基督教把蛋染紅以紀念耶穌基督在所流的寶血。^[3]

在复活节时，天主教信徒会把蛋涂成红色，请神父祝圣，自己也用作礼物送给朋友，这就是送彩蛋的最早起源。

在包括電腦、電子遊戲機、影碟等各种互動媒體之中的特意放置的娱乐用隱藏功能或隱藏訊息亦被称作“复活节彩蛋”。

^ Frank A. Salamone. Routledge Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals and Festivals. Berkshire Publishing Group. 2004 [7 April 2012]. The Easter egg predates the Christian celebration of Easter.
^ Treasures from Royal Tombs of Ur By Richard L. Zettler, Lee Horne, Donald P. Hansen, Holly Pittman 1998 pgs 70-72
^ Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 5. T.B. Noonan. 1881 [7 April 2012]. The early Christians of Mesopotamia had the custom of dyeing and decorating eggs at Easter. They were stained red, in memory of the blood of Christ, shed at His crucifixion. The Church adopted the custom, and regarded the eggs as the emblem of the resurrection, as is evinced by the benediction of Pope Paul V., about 1610, which reads thus: "Bless, O Lord! we beseech thee, this thy creature of eggs, that it may become a wholesome sustenance to thy faithful servants, eating it in thankfulness to thee on account of the resurrection of the Lord." Thus the custom has come down from ages lost in antiquity.)

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