Russians paint their Easter eggs using a traditional method of boiling onion peels and silk with the eggs. Painted eggs are a universal symbol of Easter, but in Russia they take on even more important. Russian Easter eggs are said to have magical powers-from protecting crops to warding off evil spirits. Many Russians hide Easter eggs in the foundation of their home, believing that it will bring wealth.

To make these gorgeous eggs:

For coloring eggs it is the best to use RED onion peel. Depending on the color of peel the egg color will vary from bright red to dark brown. If you want color to be darker take more peel and boil it about 30 minutes. To protect eggs from cracking add into water some salt. Do not place a cold egg  into boiling water; let them to warm during half of hour. Yes, trust me on this one! You MUST boil the eggs in this solution for the decoration to take place. There is no other decorating than this.

In Russia one can ALSO speckle the eggs, or decorate them  ” in a speck “. To do this, wet eggs are crumbled in dry rice, then are wrapped in gauze (the ends of a gauze densely should be fastened by a thread in order rice stuck to the egg). Then eggs are boiled in a dying solution in usual way. In order painted eggs shone, they should be wiped dry and then greased with sunflower oil.

We made these last year and they did not turn out as good as these images. They were much more purple and the dye rubbed off right away, not like the modern dyes.

Any suggestions?