When you look at these three words at first glance they don’t make sense together, but to every Croatian, they go hand in hand. This Sunday most Croatians will celebrate Easter, which means there is one thing on everyone’s mind – the Easter egg fight. Before diving into more details of this noble, holiday duel, let us talk about traditional ways of decorating the eggs. There are some key tools and ingredients, you guessed it – pantyhose and onions being two of them, as well as candle wax, clovers and other small herbs, red cabbage, red wine, spinach, coffee, beets, blueberries, and white vinegar.
Natural colors
Boiling the eggs in the water containing leaves of onions, red cabbage, spinach, or coffee, beets, and any other spice or produce with intense coloration will give the eggshells a wonderful color. Don’t forget to add one tablespoon of white vinegar to the mix for the best result.
Candle wax and clovers?
Candle wax drops can be used for drawing any motif you would like on the eggshells, and when it dries simply put the eggs to boil in the mix of water, vinegar, and colorful add-ons of your choice.
Clovers, as well as the other small herbs, can be secured on the eggshells using cut-out pantyhose before putting them to boil. That’s right, a very simple, and efficient way to add cute floral patterns to Easter eggs. Preferably use the clean, unworn ones 🙂
The egg fight
Now when the eggs are done, it’s time to find out who will carry the proud title of the winner of the Easter egg fight. You may think it’s a kids’ game, but if you ever met a Croatian dad on Easter, you will soon think otherwise. The wisdom of choosing the winning egg is passed on from generation to generation, and if you feel curious, and have enough time for a lengthy exposé on how the color correlates to the hardness of the shell, just ask the simple question “Koje je jaje najbolje?” (Which egg is the best one?).
Now when you have all the info, you are ready to give your best tap on the opponent’s egg. If you haven’t had the chance to play it before, the concept is very simple. One player holds the egg, while the other uses the pointier side of their egg to tap the holder’s one. Whose egg cracks, they lost, and the player with the undamaged egg proceeds to find a new opponent until there are no players left. If we abide by the original rules, you can only use the pointier side of the egg, but sometimes things get heated and all bets are off.
The prize, you ask? The undisputed glory that, at best, lasts for a week. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
