“The cuckoo” and “The shepherd”
There are more then 70 different designs used by people who paint eggs: names, special symbols according to different regions of Romania. The cuckoo is an ornament used in Tara Barsei. This bird is considered the herald of spring. With its first song, the cuckoo announces the spring equinox, the day of turning on the plow and with its last song the summer solstice. The cuckoo is the most known bird in Romanian folklore, in the ancestors’ cult, fertility rituals, magical practices, legends and superstitions.
Another ornament found in Transylvania is the shepherd, who represents the Lira constellation as this constellation is a way for shepherds to find their way.Romanian folklore tells us more stories about why we usually paint eggs in red. One of them tells us that Virgin Mary, who came to cry for her crucified Son, put a basket full of eggs near her Son’s cross and the eggs became red because of His blood. It is said that after Jesus was crucified, the Pharisees rabbi enjoy an incredible banquet and one of them said: “When this chicken revive and the boiled eggs become red, Jesus will revive too.”. He did not even finish the sentence and eggs became red and the chicken fluttered.