The great holiday of Easter is a joyful day for believers when Jesus rose from the dead and all our sins were dissolved.
It is no coincidence that a chicken egg is one of the symbols of this holiday. But where did the tradition of painting it come to us? There are several versions on this matter.
Household necessity to dye eggs at Easter
After accepting Christianity, believers adhered to Lent and did not eat eggs for six weeks. But the chickens still laid eggs, and people wanted to save food. They were boiled and colored red with onion skins or beets. It was convenient. It was so easy to distinguish raw eggs from boiled ones.
Why eggs are painted for Easter - the theory about Mary Magdalene
After the resurrection of Jesus, she came to the Roman Emperor Tiberius with this good news. In those distant times, it was necessary to bring a gift to the royal person in order to get an audience. Since Maria did not belong to the wealthy class, she offered the emperor a chicken egg as a gift. He laughed and replied that he would believe in resurrection if it turned red. And so it happened, in his hands the egg changed color.
The tradition of ancient ancestors to paint eggs for Easter
The ancestors of all the peoples of the world revered the egg as a symbol of the birth of the Universe and the new life of any creature. This is how the egg is symbolized eternal life hidden within him.
Paint eggs for Easter as a toy for a child
The mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, in order to amuse the child with a toy, colored eggs and offered them for fun. She was poor, so there were no other options for toys for the baby.
Why eggs are dyed for Easter - the theory about the egg merchant
During the procession of the guards and Jesus to Calvary, a merchant passed next to them, carrying a whole basket of eggs to the market for sale. He saw that Jesus had fallen under the weight of his cross and hurried to help him, leaving the basket by the side of the road. And when he returned, he saw a miracle - all the eggs turned red. The merchant decided to simply distribute them to family and friends as a symbol of a great miracle.
The Apostle Paul and his disciples - another theory why eggs are colored
Once upon a time, in one city, Paul and his disciples were just going around preaching. Among the residents of that city there were also ill-wishers of the Christian faith. They waylaid Paul and his disciples and began throwing stones at them. But the latter began to turn into red eggs in flight. So people believed in the power and truth of the teachings of Christ.
Easter eggs are painted as a symbol of life
For Christians, the egg symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher, and its red color symbolizes the resurrection.
There is also a version that the red eggs are stones at the entrance to the grotto where Jesus was buried. These stones changed color after the resurrection and symbolized the innocent blood of Christ shed for the sins of all mankind.
Easter is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the most important, bright and significant holiday in Christianity. The sinless Son of God shed his blood, rose from the grave, conquered death in order to give people eternal, new life, free from grief and sin.
This victory has been symbolized for hundreds of years by colored eggs, becoming an obligatory attribute of “breaking the fast,” family feasts and ritual offerings of Christians on the bright day of the manifestation of God’s mercy.
Stories and legends
The custom of painting eggs for Easter is common to Orthodox Christians in all countries of the world and dates back to pagan times.
The Slavs always symbolized the beginning of life, fertility, and spring rebirth. To appease the gods, they dipped them in blood and sacrificed them to propitiate the spirits. Testicles painted red were considered a talisman for the family, a guarantee of health, good luck and safety.
The Christian history of the ancient pagan rite is first mentioned in a 10th-century manuscript kept in the monastery of St. Anastasia in Greece. It sets out the church charter, according to which, after blessing the Easter gifts prepared for the meal, the abbot had to distribute painted bird eggs to the brethren with the words: “Christ is Risen!”
In Rus', on Easter Sunday, Orthodox Christians have since ancient times exchanged this greeting, kissed Christ three times, and given testicles consecrated in the church.
Easter eggs - natural, wooden, bone, carved - were given by a master to a servant, by a boss to a subordinate, by a rich man to a beggar. Eggs on this day clearly symbolized the unity of the Orthodox people and the equality of all before the one God, who does not look at faces, but looks into the treasury of the human heart.
Blessings of all Mary Magdalene to the Roman Governor
The Bible and Holy Scripture do not mention the ritual of coloring eggs. The stories and legends that arose on the basis of the Gospel do not have direct confirmation, but the tradition of making an egg a symbol of the holiday has confidently entered the list of Easter rituals.
The most famous legend tells about Mary Magdalene, who was the first to see the resurrected savior and began to preach about him in Rome even before the Apostle Paul. To the Roman Emperor Tiberius, Mary Magdalene presented an egg as a gift with the words: “Christ is Risen!” In response, the ruler of Rome objected that dead man it is impossible to become alive again.
Immediately after these words, the white chicken egg turned red right in his hands, confirming the good news of Mary about the great event of that time.
Miracle during meals
Another story about why believers paint eggs for the holiday tells about the meal of the Jews in Palestine after the execution of Jesus Christ.
One of those present at the table remembered Christ’s promise to resurrect on the third day after his death. To these words, another dinner companion replied that such a miracle could only happen if fried chicken the dish will come to life and the boiled eggs will turn red.
A moment later, everything happened exactly as the doubting Jew had said.
The nobility of the egg merchant
The Lutheran Church adheres to its version of colored eggs, which has a direct connection with biblical events. The legend tells about the most tragic moment in Scripture, namely the procession of the Savior to Golgotha.
The cross that Jesus carried to the place of his execution amid the shouts of curses from the crowd was very heavy. A passing egg merchant, seeing the suffering and pain of the condemned man, rushed to his aid. He left the basket with his fragile goods on the side of the road, and when he returned, he saw that all the eggs had turned bright red.
Having believed in Divine intervention, the merchant did not take them to the market, but distributed them to relatives and friends, telling about the miracle that had happened.
Stones of Faith of Saint Peter the Apostle
One of the disciples of the son of God on earth, who later became an apostle and founder of the Christian church, was Peter. After Christ's ascension into heaven, Peter and other brothers walked around Judea and talked about their faith. In one city evil people They did not want to accept their testimony and began throwing stones to kill the first Christians.
And then a miracle happened: the flying stones began to turn red chicken eggs without causing harm to Peter and his comrades. Then those who abandoned them stopped persecuting the “heretics” and humbly accepted Christianity.
Why were eggs only painted red in the past?
There are many legends, stories and traditions that introduce where the tradition of dyeing eggs came from. They may have biblical roots and not have a religious origin, or be mythological and purely everyday in nature.
All of them have one thing in common - the red color of the shell from bright scarlet to dark crimson, symbolizing the blood of Christ shed on Calvary in the name of atonement for the sins of all people. In remembrance and recognition of God's great mercy and love, Christians dye eggs the color of their Savior's blood.
The non-Christian historical version tells of a prophecy received by the mother of the great general and emperor Marcus Aurelius. On the day of his birth, one of the domestic hens at court laid an unusual egg with red dots.
The Romans were distinguished by great superstition in various miracles and predictions, so the words of the court broadcaster about the great fate of the child, which became prophetic, laid the foundation for the custom of giving each other colored eggs on holidays.
In addition, the crimson color always indicated belonging to the highest nobility, and only representatives of royal dynasties wore clothes made of red material.
How do you color eggs?
At Easter, eggs are colored by boiling them in any broth, after letting it sit for some time. This method was used in ancient times and is preferred to be used now, since it is the “grandmother’s” method that remains the highest quality and safest for health.
The following will help give the egg bright, rich colors:
- onion peel, cherry bark - red, brown, orange colors;
- turmeric - yellow color of gold, a symbol of wealth;
- beet - pink purity and innocence;
- hibiscus, blue cabbage - blue radiance of hope and kindness;
- brilliant green - marble green tint, symbolizing rebirth.
Before Easter, a huge selection of artificial dyes, stickers, and transfers appear on sale, but natural dyes traditionally remain in demand. Their advantage lies in the fact that they not only color the shell, but also strengthen it.
How long does an Easter egg last?
Eggs began to be painted from the beginning of the Great 40-day Lent in Orthodoxy, since church rules It was forbidden to eat them at this time.
To prevent them from spoiling and so that they could later be distinguished from fresh raw ones, the eggs were boiled in onion skins and smeared sunflower oil and kept until the bright day of Christ.
According to Orthodox tradition, the consecrated egg must be kept behind the icons for a year until the next Great Sunday, as it has healing and magical properties.
An Easter egg, like an ordinary one, does not need to be eaten after the expiration date, but if precautions are taken, it can retain its attractiveness for a long time and become a visual symbol of eternal divine life in the house.
Video: how did the tradition of coloring Easter eggs begin?
It is customary to paint at Easter eggs different colors, but among the colorful eggs, the central place belongs to bright red eggs. Why?
History has preserved this legend for us. According to one of the most popular versions, which many Christians adhere to, it is believed that it was Mary Magdalene who initiated this tradition.
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his disciples and followers dispersed different countries, everywhere proclaiming the good news that there is no longer any need to fear death. Christ, the Savior of the world, defeated her. He resurrected Himself and will resurrect everyone who believes Him and loves people just as He loved.
Mary Magdalene dared to come with this news to the Roman Emperor Tiberius himself.
According to the law, if a poor person had an audience with Caesar, he had to donate at least an egg. So she brought an ordinary egg and, with a story about Christ, handed the egg to the emperor, who laughed and answered her in the spirit that just as this egg cannot turn red, so a dead person cannot be resurrected. And right there, before his eyes, the egg began to fill with blood and became dark red... Since then, on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, we give each other red-painted eggs with the words: “Christ is Risen!” and we hear in response from the recipient of the gift: “Truly He is Risen!”
The egg has always been a symbol of life: in a strong shell there is life hidden from view, which in due course will break out of its lime captivity in the form of a small yellow chicken.
Speaking about this legend, it is worth noting that there are no records in any Christian source that describe this event, so this version is not considered official, but many believers love this beautiful story. In their opinion, it is she who explains Why are eggs painted for Easter?.
According to another, less magical version, Mary Magdalene simply brought an ordinary egg as a gift to the emperor. She gave it a gift look by painting it red, and she also wrote two letters on it, which symbolized the beginning of the expression “Christ is Risen.” This is how the first Easter egg appeared.
Another legend explains the tradition egg coloring on Easter, the fact that the Virgin Mary, entertaining the infant Christ, also painted eggs. And we do this, remembering that Easter is a rebirth, it is new life and bright, pure joy.
There is a legend that says that after the execution of Christ, the Jews gathered for a meal consisting of fried chicken and boiled eggs. The diners mentioned that in three days Jesus Christ would resurrect, to which the owner of the house objected: “This will happen only after the fried chicken comes to life and the eggs turn red.” And at that very moment the chicken came to life, and the eggs changed color.
According to this legend egg dyeing- this is a symbol of people’s faith in the miracle of the resurrection of Christ, a symbol of overcoming doubts, in memory of the Day of Resurrection. It is also believed that the red color of the egg symbolizes the color of the blood of Christ, who gave his life to save people.
Scientists also have their own version of the origin of the tradition of dyeing eggs among Christians. Why dye eggs for Easter? In their opinion, they adopted this tradition from early cults, this is not surprising, because we know many holidays that were originally pagan, and then became Christian.
And in fact, custom of dyeing eggs found in many pre-Christian beliefs, including among the Slavs. Let's try to figure out why, or rather, how they could have developed this tradition. We already know that the egg among the ancient pagans was a symbol of fertility, and in the spring, when people celebrated the awakening of nature from sleep and the beginning of a new agricultural season, they decorated the eggs in every possible way in order to receive good harvest in the coming year.
With the advent of Christianity, these customs were mixed and, in addition to the many rituals that are performed at Easter, people also began to paint eggs.
Some scholars even believe that the legend of Magdalene appeared to justify Christian Church, who began to observe pagan rituals. And even now, some clergy with radical views have a very negative attitude towards this custom and cannot understand why eggs should be painted for Easter. Some of them are even trying to ban this tradition among their parishioners, they say: “For a Christian, observing pagan rituals is a great sin!” -, but this tradition has long become part of the Christian religion and believers rarely take such statements seriously.
Also, some scientists believe that Easter tradition of dyeing eggs has no religious basis at all, and the emergence of this tradition is explained as follows. The fact is that during Lent, people ate a lot of eggs and so that they did not spoil for a long time, they had to be boiled, and they were painted in order to somehow distinguish boiled eggs from raw ones.
Researchers of Easter eggs note that Easter eggs reflect the archaic ideas of the Slavs about the universe, and, apparently, Easter eggs existed among the Slavs before the adoption of Christianity. In early church documents, in particular the Poznań synoidal charter of Andrei Laskarge, who denounced the pagan remnants of the Slavs, it is considered a mortal sin during Easter time “...to give eggs and other gifts...”.
After all, an egg is not only a symbol of life, fertility and the spring rebirth of nature. Long before Christ, the egg was considered a prototype of the Universe itself. The very shape of the egg - an oval - symbolized a miracle among the Greeks.
The custom of dyeing eggs is also associated with the name of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is believed that on the day he was born, one of his mother's hens laid an egg marked with red dots. This was interpreted as a sign that a future emperor had been born. Over time, the Romans became accustomed to sending each other colored eggs as congratulations.
But why exactly did the egg become one of the proofs of the Resurrection of the Son of God?
In ancient times the egg was given magical meaning. In graves, mounds, ancient burials dating back to the pre-Christian era, eggs are found, both natural and made from various materials(marble, clay, etc.). During excavations in Etruscan tombs, carved and natural ostrich and chicken eggs, sometimes even painted ones, were discovered. All the mythologies of the world keep legends associated with the egg as a symbol of life, renewal, as the source of origin of everything that exists in this world.
For example, even the ancient Egyptians Every spring, along with the flood of the Nile, they exchanged painted eggs and hung them in their sanctuaries and temples. In Egyptian mythology, the egg represents the potential for life and immortality - the seed of existence and its secret.
The egg - a universal symbol of the creation of the world and creativity - is also mentioned in Indian Vedas (golden egg, from which Brahma hatched). In India all the birds are egg laying, are called “twice-born”, since hatching from an egg means a second birth.
In the East it was believed that there was a time when chaos reigned everywhere, and this chaos was located in a huge egg in which all forms of life were hidden. The fire warmed the shell, giving the egg the warmth of creation. Thanks to this divine fire, the mythical creature Panu emerged from the egg. Everything weightless became Heaven, and everything dense became earth. Panu connected Heaven with Earth, created wind, space, clouds, thunder, lightning. To heat the emerging earth, Panu gave it the Sun, and to remind it of the cold - the Moon. Thanks to Pan, the Sun warmed the earth, the Moon shone, planets and stars were born.
Since ancient times the egg served as a symbol of the spring sun, bringing with it life, joy, warmth, light, the revival of nature, deliverance from the shackles of frost and snow - in other words, the transition from non-existence to existence. It was once customary to offer an egg as a simple small gift to the pagan gods, to give eggs to friends and benefactors on New Year's Day and on birthdays. Rich, wealthy people often offered gold or gilded eggs, symbolizing the sun, instead of colored chicken eggs. The ancient Romans had a custom of eating a baked egg at the beginning of a festive meal - this was symbolically associated with the successful start of a new business. It is interesting that Russian landowners of the 18th century also started the day with a soft-boiled egg - it was believed that a liquid yolk for breakfast contributed to the good absorption of the rest of the food during the day and “lubricated” the stomach.
For our ancestors the egg served as a symbol of life. It contains the embryo of the solar bird - the Rooster, who woke up the morning.
Piero della Francesca in the altarpiece of Monte Feltro(Milan, Brera, 15th century) depicted an ostrich egg above the Madonna and Child. Here it serves as an additional attribute of the legend of the miraculous birth of the God-man Jesus and points to a world that rests on the Christian faith. The Byzantine theologian and philosopher John of Damascus emphasized that heaven and earth are like an egg in everything: the shell is the sky, the chaff is the clouds, the white is water, and the yolk is the earth. From the dead matter of the egg life arises; it contains possibility, idea, movement and development. According to legend, even the dead the egg gives the power of life; with the help of the egg they feel the spirit of life and gain lost strength. There is a primordial belief that thanks to the miraculous power of the egg, you can come into contact with the dead, and they seem to come to life for a while. If you put a painted egg on the grave - the first one received on Easter - the deceased will hear everything that is said to him, that is, he will, as it were, return to life and to what makes the living person happy or sad.
Orthodox symbolism Easter eggs are rooted in the thousand-year-old traditions of the religions of many peoples of the world. At the same time, in Orthodoxy it receives a significant semantic addition: the egg in it, first of all, is a symbol of bodily rebirth in Christ, a symbol of the jubilant joy of the Resurrection from the dead, the victory of Life over death. Russian folk legends tell that at the moment of the Resurrection of Christ, the stones on Calvary turned into red eggs. The Orthodox symbolism of the egg also has its roots in the pre-Christian beliefs of the Slavs, who from ancient times were characterized by the cult of ancestors, the veneration of the immortal souls of the dead, who were considered sacred individuals.
The first written evidence of colored eggs for Holy Easter we find it in a manuscript written on parchment and dating back to the 10th century, from the library of the monastery of St. Anastasia, near Thessaloniki in Greece. At the end of the church charter given in the manuscript, after the prayers for Easter, a prayer was also to be read for the blessing of eggs, cheese, and the abbot, kissing the brethren, was to distribute eggs to them with the words: “Christ is Risen!” According to the manuscript “Nomocanon Photius” (XIII century), the abbot can punish a monk who does not eat a red egg on Easter Day, because he is opposed to the apostolic traditions. Thus, the custom of giving eggs for Easter dates back to apostolic times, when Mary Magdalene was the first to set an example for believers of this joyful gift-giving.
As you can see, there are many scientific assumptions and fictitious legends, each of which does not have a “solid” conclusion, therefore it is impossible to say unambiguously ,
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The Easter egg is a symbol of the spring holiday along with Easter cake and cottage cheese. These bright symbols of the Holy Resurrection of Christ are known to every person since childhood, but perhaps not everyone knows why eggs are painted at Easter.
There are many versions and explanations - from a beautiful legend to everyday necessity, notes Sputnik Georgia.
Legends, versions, assumptions
The egg symbolizes life, rebirth, and the tradition of painting eggs for Easter goes back to ancient times. The first mention of colored eggs is found in a 10th-century manuscript found in the library of the Greek monastery of St. Anastasia.
© Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili
According to the manuscript, after the service on Easter, the abbot distributed blessed eggs to the brethren with the words: “Christ is Risen!”
But the answer to the question of when and why they began to paint eggs is still shrouded in mystery.
Legend has it that Mary Magdalene presented the first Easter egg to the Roman Emperor Tiberius to announce the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ.
By ancient custom Gifts were presented to the emperor, and Mary Magdalene brought Tiberius a chicken egg as a gift with the words: “Christ is Risen!” However, Tiberius did not believe her words, objecting that no one could be resurrected, just like white egg cannot turn red.
And as soon as the last word left his lips, a miracle happened - the chicken egg brought by Maria turned completely red. The color red symbolizes the blood shed on the cross by Jesus.
According to another legend, the tradition of painting eggs was started by the Virgin Mary, who painted eggs to entertain Jesus Christ when he was still a baby.
It has long been believed that the blessed Easter egg should be the first meal after a 40-day fast. Therefore, one of the simple and vital explanations also has a right to exist.
In particular, during Lent, believers limit their food intake and do not consume meat and dairy products. This fact did not affect the hens, and they continued to lay eggs out of habit. To protect eggs from spoilage, they were boiled, and various dyes were added during cooking to later distinguish boiled egg from raw.
There is also an assumption that the custom of dyeing eggs for Easter is associated with the pre-Christian celebration of spring. For many peoples, the egg was the personification of life-giving power, therefore, in the customs and beliefs of the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, the egg was a symbol of birth and rebirth.
© Sputnik / Mikhail Mordasov
Perhaps the tradition of painting eggs for Easter appeared and became established as a combination of several of the above versions. But in any case, a painted Easter egg is very beautiful, useful, and is an integral part of the holiday.
Originally the color was only red, symbolizing the blood of Christ. And the most common dyes for coloring eggs were naturally easily accessible, such as onion peel, cherry bark, beets and so on.
In Georgia, eggs have been dyed with roots for a long time. medicinal plant Madder (Rubia tinctorum), which is popularly called "endro".
Over time, eggs began to be painted in other colors, using natural or food coloring. And chicken eggs began to be replaced with wooden, chocolate or made from precious metals and stones.
The color of the egg depends on what it is painted with, and the color itself also has meaning: red is a royal color, reminiscent of God’s love for the human race, and blue is the color Holy Virgin, it is associated with kindness, hope, love for one's neighbor.
White is a heavenly color and symbolizes purity and spirituality, while yellow, like orange and gold, symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Green, like a fusion of blue and yellow flowers, means prosperity and rebirth.
Multi-colored and painted eggs are given as gifts cheerful mood and are the basis of Easter games. Everyone loves to play games related to Easter eggs, especially children. The most famous games are egg rolling and egg beating.
The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.
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This is useful material on the topic of why eggs are painted for Easter. If you want to quickly find out when and on what day they do this, then we will answer right away - on Maundy Thursday or on Holy Saturday.
Under no circumstances should you dye eggs on Good Friday (the day of the Great Tribulation when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross). If you are wondering where the tradition came from and when is the best time to paint, then read our material further.
Read in separate material. This is a very sad day when they remember the events of the morning - the execution of Jesus Christ, his martyrdom on the cross, his removal from the cross and burial. The day is worth spending in peace, prayer and mourning.
In search of ways to paint eggs for Easter, you can read articles on this topic on our website, where the most detailed descriptions are described, with photos and videos. different options coloring:
Why are eggs painted at Easter?
There is still no consensus or precise fact on this issue. The truth will probably never be established. There are several common and widely accepted legends. One of them is associated with Mary Magdalene and the Roman Emperor Tiberius.
Easter basket assembled: ?
As everyone who has read the Gospel knows, after his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ spent another forty days on earth in the realm of spirit, instructing his disciples and people close to him. He talked about how to spread the Christian faith and what to do next. So Mary Magdalene, having listened to these words, decided to go to Emperor Tiberius and tell the news that the Savior, Christ, who was crucified by order of the emperor (on behalf of the Roman authorities) was resurrected on the third day and announced the victory of life over death. The traditions of that time boiled down to the fact that you couldn’t go to the emperor (no matter how you felt about him) empty-handed. What did poor Mary have with her? Can you guess? Only one egg.
Now it was her turn to communicate with the emperor and she said that Christ was crucified and he died in front of everyone, was buried, but was resurrected on the third day. Tiberius laughed in the woman’s face and made her laugh in front of everyone. He said something like ordinary person cannot be resurrected, just as the egg in Mary’s hands cannot turn red. At that very moment, everyone saw that the egg began to turn red and eventually turned bright red. Tiberius was only able to say one single phrase, which today on Easter we say to each other: “Truly he is risen.”
There is another very kind and interesting version. When Christ was a boy, he loved chickens very much. His mother Maria collected eggs and painted them for her son. When Christ was crucified and he died as a martyr on the cross, Mary brought Pontius Pilate (the representative of the Roman authorities in Jerusalem, who decided to execute the Savior) a whole basket of painted eggs. She knelt before Pilate, lowered the hem of her dress and the eggs scattered on the white marble floor as a symbol of a reminder of the dishonest execution committed.
If we consider the coloring of eggs in a more general and symbolic sense, without connecting it with any specific events, stories and people, then we can refer to the symbol of life. This symbol is the egg from which a chicken is then produced.
When to paint eggs for Easter 2018
Previously, in villages people began to dye eggs during Holy Week, right from Monday, and every day, with the exception of Good Friday, was suitable for this activity. But modern housewives do not prepare this way in advance, so the most suitable days for this task are Thursday or Saturday.
This year the dates coincided so that Holy Saturday falls on the Feast of the Annunciation and will be celebrated on April 7th. We know that on big days church holidays, which is the Annunciation, you cannot do housework and housekeeping. However, in this case, the priests emphasize: if you went to church in the morning, prayed for the holiday and for the Mother of God, then gradually you can begin to do the remaining pre-Easter tasks at home. Including painting eggs, baking Easter, and preparing other dishes little by little.
Advice! Maundy Thursday has always been considered the best day on which eggs are painted for Easter. Because, according to the gospel story, on this evening before his arrest, Jesus gathered his disciples and shared a meal with him. But this is a desirable day, and not strictly obligatory. If, due to work and other matters, you manage to paint eggs on Holy Saturday, you can safely do it and not be afraid of anything.
Under no circumstances should you paint eggs, just like you should do any other household work (in the kitchen, in the garden, or anywhere else) - this is Good Friday. If you can’t dye the testicles another day, then on Friday do it carefully and in minimum quantity, but only after 15.00, when the shroud will be brought to the center of the temple. Otherwise, put off painting and other household preparations. It’s better to get up early to get everything done.
