Painted and decorated eggs are intrinsically associated with Easter. They symbolize spring and new life, for Christians they are associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The symbolism of the egg dates to pagan times when it was associated with fertility and the cycle of life. This may be the reason why the tradition of putting eggs into a grave alongside the deceased existed in many ancient cultures. A similar custom in the Slavonic territory is documented as early as the 9th century when items put into graves in Kiev Russia included písanky – decorated eggs modelled from clay. Some medieval...