If you paint an egg this spring you are following a tradition that goes back not hundreds, but thousands of years.

You know the old riddle, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Ancient Egyptians believed it was the egg. This culture, along with several others including Persians, Phoenicians and Hindus, believed the world began with an enormous egg.

The ancient Zoroastrians painted eggs for their New Year’s celebration, Nowruz, which fell during the spring equinox.

In Christianity there are several different stories about the significance of eggs. Some say the egg represents the boulder of the tomb of Jesus. Others believe that Mary Magdalene took a lunch of boiled eggs to the tomb to share with other women. When she saw that Christ had risen the eggs turned blood red.

In another story, Mary went to the Emperor of Rome and told him that “Christ has risen”. His response was that Christ was about as risen as the eggs on his table were red. The eggs promptly turned red.

It is fairly simple to dye eggs. You can buy an egg dyeing kit from the store, or you can make your own dye.

1. Cool hard boil your eggs, setting aside the egg carton.

2. Fill a bowl with a mixture of half a cup of boiling water, one teaspoon of white vinegar and about 20 drops of liquid food colouring.

3. Using a spoon dunk the eggs in the dye turning occasionally so both sides get colour. Leave for five minutes, or longer for a darker colour.

4. Take them out and put back in the carton to dry.

Here are some tips for jazzing up your egg for the holidays.

1. Paint some bubble wrap and roll your egg over it, or press the bubbles to the egg to create a unique design. You can also wrap rubber bands or put tape on the egg before dipping in the dye. When the egg is dry remove the bands and tape. You can try dipping the egg a second time in a different colour to change the colour of the blank areas you have created.

2. Use a cotton bud, (the kind that the doctor normally warns you not to use in your ears), to dab in paint and create dots on your eggs. You can also coat them in glue and roll them in glitter.

3. For a natural dye effect put blueberries, beets or spinach in the water when you hard boil your eggs. It should change the hue of your egg shell.

4. For another natural effect, place small leaves of herbs (dill, parsley, mint) over eggs and then knot everything tightly inside pantyhose before putting everything in dye.

5. Once you are done dyeing your egg and it has dried, you can coat the whole thing with clear nail polish to add shine and long-term protection.

6. Add a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil to your dye. The oil should prevent some of the dye from sticking to the egg for an interesting look.

7. If you are using anything other than food colouring on your eggs, or if your eggs are sitting around outside in the sun waiting to be found, it’s probably best to just use them strictly for decoration rather than for consumption.