Hungarian Easter Eggs Decoration. Magyar hímes tojások.

Hungarian Easter Eggs Decoration. Magyar hímes tojások. Painting Easter eggs is a tradition all over Europe. But as with all traditions, how the eggs are decorated has its local features. The Hungarian eggs, called hímestojás, are painted by hand with different colors following traditional folk patterns. The so-called hímes tojás, which can be translated literally as decorated egg, is the heart and soul of the Hungarian Easter Holiday. Traditionally, Magyars exchanged decorated eggs the way we use a greeting card today. Using symbols and symbolic colors a message was sent, usually consisting of good wishes for long life or family and personal blessings. The ornament treasury of present Hungarian painted eggs preserves old, archaic motives and another part enriches hungarian folk art with very different flower-like ornaments.