A Transylvanian Easter: How to Make Hungarian Leaf Print Easter Eggs

There is no place better to be than Transylvania during the holidays. 

Here, during the holidays, time stands still.

Families and friends gather together over an abundance of food, laughter, and song. 

There are many foods and traditions surrounding the Easter Celebration. Homes are thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom followed by extensive baking and cooking. When Easter Sunday arrives, some feast on lamb stew cooked over an open fire. Others eat Húsleves (A traditional Hungarian soup made from chicken and vegetables) followed by toltott kaposzta (Stuffed Cabbage). Tables are piled high with diós or makos rudak (Walnut and Poppy Seed Rolls) and home-made kalács (Cakes).

The celebration begins on Easter Sunday and lasts for three consecutive days known as the First, Second, and Third Days of Easter. The first day is spent at church and is followed by a meal with the immediate family. On the second day of Easter, women and girls set out homemade cakes and cookies, get dressed in nice dresses, and sit down to await their guests. 

Throughout the day, they will be visited by male family members as well as male friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. The men will come to the door, recite a poem that they have memorized, and ask if they may “shower” the women and girls. Saying yes, the women and girls lean forward and allow the men and boys to sprinkle cologne onto the top of their heads. The women and girls then offer the men a red egg from a bowl on the table, and a chocolate egg to the boys after which, they invite the men and boys to sit down and have something to eat and drink. When they return home, the men have a lovely collection of decorated red eggs which are then eaten with bread, cheese, and fresh green onions, or baked into a dish called rakott krumpli (Potato and Egg Casserole).

There are, of course, many different regional variations to this custom. This, however, is how the tradition is practiced in the village of Szék and by the Hungarians in the surrounding areas. 

The Third Day of Easter is much more casual and is spent entertaining and visiting friends and family that you might not have seen on the other days.

There are also a number of traditional ways of decorating Easter Eggs throughout Transylvania.  They are all stunning and have rich cultural and symbolic significance.

Today, I am going to take you through the process of how to make “Leaf Print” Easter eggs.

The Gorgeous Colors

The deep red color comes from the peels of red onions.

Onions, both yellow and red, are a staple in Transylvania cooking and are used in the preparation of most meals.

Back in time, women throughout Transylvania would dye their Easter Eggs using the peels of yellow and red onions.

They would keep two glass jars in their kitchens, one for the yellow peels and another for the red.

My own Mother-in-Law, preferring the deep red color, usually begins putting her discarded red onion peels aside some time after Christmas.

Even today, you can see plastic bags of onion peels for sale at local markets.

Daffodils and Collected Onion Peels in our Kitchen

The Leaves

The designs on the eggs are the impressions of leaves gathered from the women’s gardens.

Many times over the years, I have gone out to the gardens and yards of the various homes we have lived in searching for leaves that will leave a lovely impression on the eggs.

Some years, this has been quite a challenge.

Spring in Transylvania is a turbulent time. Each year, around Easter the winds blow, the sun breaks through, and before you know it, snow begins to fall.

This is repeated many times before Spring finally vanquishes Winter and the warm, sunny weather is here to stay.

This year has been particularly intense. There have been several occasions when I have glanced out the window and was uncertain if the cherry blossoms were blowing in the wind, or if a few snowflakes have begun to fall from the heavens.

Leaves and Flowers Gathered from our Garden

The Process

The process is pretty simple, and after a few tries, I was able to successfully make some pretty “Leaf Print” Easter Eggs. 

If you want to try this at home, you will need:

• a clean, but discarded pair of pantyhose which has been cut into tubes measuring about 6” in length. 

• a dozen or so eggs

• red or yellow onion peels

• white vinegar

• a good selection of small  leaves

• a saucepan

  
  

For me, the first step is the on only tricky part in the whole process. Carefully place a leaf on top of one of the eggs and slowly slide it into the tube of cut pantyhose. Be careful not to move the leaf out of position. You will be able to adjust it slightly once it is in, but not much. Sometimes, slightly moistening the leaf with a little water with help it adhere to the egg. Next, tie one end of the pantyhose, make sure the leaf is in a good position, and tie a knot in the other end of the pantyhose tube. You will want to make sure that the pantyhose is stretched as tightly as possible over the egg to hold the leaf in place. When your eggs are all ready, put them in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan three quarters full of water, add a little bit of white vinegar, and place the onion peels into the water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer. You will want to leave the eggs in the water for at least ten minutes so that they will be hard boiled. You may want to leave them in a little longer to obtain a nice, dark rich color. The longer they are left in the water with the onion peels, the darker the color will be.

If you like, you can also rub white vinegar on the eggs before placing them in the tubes of pantyhose. This will help the eggs to absorb the color. Also, when they are finished, you can rub a tiny bit of oil on them with a paper towel to give them a slightly shiny sheen.

Good luck and have fun!

Kellemes ünnepeket kívánunk!